Newer leaders sometimes assume their team has the skill or knowledge to successfully carry out the work they have assigned to them. But it may not be the case. Some may be willing to acknowledge their need for help and readily ask for it. Others may not and instead search the internet to instruct them on how to tackle the task. Instead of leaving things to chance, effective leaders can learn to be inspired teachers.

Effective leaders are teachers

Not everyone learns the same way. Some people need extensive knowledge and preparation to build their confidence before starting a new task; others prefer to learn through trial and error. Some people learn well in groups while others prefer to learn independently. If you know what your team members prefer, you can offer guidance to each individual. Ask your direct reports what they prefer a hands-on experience or do they prefer some time to think on their own before tying. If you notice someone struggling, ask what you can do that would be most helpful.

Learn how others learn

Great teachers know that learning is a consequence of thinking, not of teaching. Ask open-ended questions to draw out what specifically the person is struggling with. Help them make connections between previous relevant experience and previously developed skills. For example, someone struggling to learn how to write technical content for a non-technical audience: "Tell me about a time when you had to explain your work to a friend or family member who didn't understand it. How did you do it?"

Ask questions to draw out learning needs and reservations

Letting someone know that you struggled to learn the skill you’re now teaching them can ease the pressure people may feel to "look good" in front of the boss. Stay empathic and keep your past struggles in mind. “I know this is hard, and the fact that I’m here probably makes it harder. Would it help to hear an experience I had struggling to learn something similar and how I got through it?”

Be judicious when comparing your own learning journey

Sometimes it's helpful to demonstrate to learners how something is done. Ask your learner if it would be helpful to demonstrate. Ensure that you're not conveying that this is precisely how they should do it. After you offer a demonstration, ask your learner, "What did you see that was helpful?"

Demonstrate when helpful

Once you've given someone "a lesson," they may be more sensitive to your scrutiny. You don't want them thinking that every time they present, they'll be evaluated. Rather than letting them become hypervigilant, set expectations about how and when your next observation of their performance will be. When you have observed them, ask how did they feel that went? What would they say went well, and what would they do differently?

Reinforce learning through observation, reflection, and coaching

If the task you're asking someone to take on has a particular sense of urgency, you will feel a sense of impatience, even frustration, as your learner works to apply new skills. <ul><li>Ensure you have realistic expectations and don't signal disappointment or frustration, as this can interfere with your learner's progress and confidence.</li><li>Maintain a posture of compassion and grace as your learner faces the challenges of building a new skill.</li></ul>

Manage your expectations

Any new skill is a process of “three steps forward, two steps back,” especially in the early weeks of learning. Agree with your learner when you will check in on progress. for some, it may be every week, and for others, every month may be more appropriate.

Check in periodically

Newer leaders sometimes assume their team has the skill or knowledge to successfully carry out the work they have assigned to them, but this may not necessarily be the case. Someone may be struggling with a particular task and might be hesitant to seek out help. To be an inspiring and approachable leader, here’s what you can do: Be a model learner. Be open when you don’t know the answer to a question or the solution to a problem, and acknowledge your mistakes when you are in the wrong. Learn how others learn. Accept that not everyone learns in the same way. Some like to dive in to their tasks right away while others need deeper knowledge and preparation in order to complete the task at hand. Ask questions to draw out learning needs and reservations. Open-ended questions can help you decipher what a person on your team may be struggling with. Help them build their confidence. Be judicious when comparing your own learning journey. Share moments where you struggled to learn the skill you are now teaching, but not in a way that diminishes their struggle. Demonstrate when helpful, but always check in with your learner first by asking, “Would it be helpful for me to demonstrate this for you?” Reinforce learning through observation, reflection, and coaching. Once you’ve given someone a lesson, they may be more sensitive to your scrutiny as they practice mastering their new skill or task. Set expectations about how and when your next observation of their performance will happen. Manage your expectations. It’s important to remember to not signal disappointment or frustration as this may hinder your learner’s progress as well as confidence. Check in periodically. Having regular check-ins signals to your learner that you care about their progress, and remain available to support, affirm, and coach them as needed.

career

Career

education

Learning & Education

leadershipandmanagement

Leadership & Management

To Be a Good Manager, You Have to Be a Good Teacher

The past few years have produced unprecedented disruptions, and companies find it near impossible to plan for the future. Such a volatile environment needs a new approach to strategy. It requires an approach that relies less on looking at what the company can do and more on imagining what it could do.

Turning a world of uncertainty into a world of possibility

Take a strict look at what your clients really want. Instead of drawing up customer profiles, companies should consider what individuals wish to achieve in that specific circumstance. <ul><li>The entire organisation should be involved in the strategy development process, not just the corporate strategy team.</li><li>The process of devising and revising strategy should be continuous. Define the ultimate outcome, then continually adjust and adapt the strategy.</li><li>Companies should define their goal, but the strategy for achieving that end state should not be fixed.</li></ul>

How to rethink strategy

The first step is to find your big audacious goal to stretch your business and expand its value creation. A key source of inspiration can be customer problems and desires, which change all the time. Ask them what they want instead of guessing. Also ask other stakeholders for new ideas - investors, government bodies, local communities, and employees.

Find the big audacious goal

<ul><li>Break down the big strategic goal into questions relating to different parts of your operations or business process. This will help to anchor the strategy-devising process within the organisation.</li><li>Come up with questions rather than searching for answers. This can reveal hidden possibilities and angles you may not have thought of.</li></ul> This exercise will result in a series of sub-questions grouped by subject area.

Break it down

Take each sub-question and generate ideas and strategic options. You no longer think about the questions but look for strategic ideas. Look at what top performers in your own industry and elsewhere do.

Generate ideas

Identify which strategic options from the previous step best deliver on each of the sub-questions. <ol><li>Define what success looks like for the process in question,</li><li>then run the new solution in parallel to the existing one.</li></ol> When the alternative solution outperforms the incumbent one, shelve the existing process. Continuously challenge existing solutions. For each process, ask:<ol><li>Is this part of our true value proposition?</li><li>Do we have the capabilities and resources to master this area?</li></ol> Only do the things for which you can answer yes to both questions.

Identify the best options

strategy

Strategy

problemsolving

Problem Solving

4 Steps to Creating a Strategy in an Uncertain World

Peer coaching involves colleagues with the same level of experience and position to commit to helping each other by sharing insights, feedback, and best practices. Peer coaching can play an important role in building a resilient, high-performing organization while allowing remote workers to connect and engage with one another from afar.

Peer coaching

Peer coaching shares some practices with mentoring programs that pair experienced employees with junior ones for professional development. <ul><li>However, mentoring is a one-way relationship between people on different hierarchical levels.</li><li>Peer coaching is two-way, with participants on the same level and equally giving and receiving to help each other grow.</li></ul>

Peer coaching is similar to mentoring

Peer coaching can consist of pairs, triads, or small groups of participants that meet in person or remotely. Sessions start with goal-setting and end with action planning. These sessions can address organisational issues, specific skill development priorities, and more. Key questions:<ol><li>What do we want to accomplish during this session?</li><li>What have we learned from this session?</li><li>What next steps will we take?</li></ol>

How peer coaching works

<ul><li>Participants gain an outside perspective of their own performance and receive accountability.</li><li>The cross-functional relationships that are formed create a support network that participants can rely on to help them solve problems.</li><li>Peer coaching helps develop skills that lead to greater efficiency and productivity.</li><li>Peer coaches learn to collaborate and communicate effectively.</li><li>Participants learn to give and receive feedback in a constructive way.</li><li>They build confidence and leadership skills, such as empathy and social awareness.</li></ul>

The benefits of peer coaching for individuals and organizations

In some organisations, peer coaching is an inherent aspect of a team’s culture and happens organically. Other organisations implement a more formal structure, with defined requirements for serving as a peer coach and sessions held on a regular schedule. Ideally, peer coaching becomes ingrained in organisational culture with or without a formal program.

Ways to implement peer coaching

Accepting feedback gracefully and changing behaviours accordingly do not come naturally to most people. It may be because feedback hasn't been presented in an effective way. Peer coaching is entirely dependent on the free exchange of actionable feedback. It can only work if all parties feel safe and have each other's best interest at heart.

The importance of learning how to give and receive feedback 

<ul><li>Leaders will emerge if they are given the right environment. Peer to peer coaching can help to create that environment.</li><li>Create a process to identify peer coaching participants.</li><li>Offer to onboard new participants.</li><li>Consider using a group facilitator in the beginning to help set expectations and ground rules.</li><li>Encourage participants to commit to a risk-free, nonjudgmental, and psychologically safe environment.</li><li>Create opportunities for peer coaching groups to share accomplishments with their primary teams.</li><li>Place an end date on each round of peer coaching.</li></ul>

Guidelines for a successful peer coaching program

Peer coaching can play a key role in building high-performing teams, while allowing remote workers to connect with one another from afar. 

personaldevelopment

Personal Development

communication

Communication

business

Business

The power of peer coaching (and how to do it well)

Initially, the tech company was the lean, innovative underdog that took on the powerful status quo to free the consumer from how they viewed ideas, institutions and service delivery. But tech can no longer claim that. The so-called tech disruptors of today have unchallenged access, funding, and regulatory support. Disruption is sold as a one-way street where technology can change a social space if it is static but can't be changed in return. Yet, today's disruption is happening through users and networks, not tech companies.

Technological disruption

Grab and Gojek were mobility platforms meant to disrupt the city's existing motorbike taxi market by creating a driver workforce that was anonymised. Instead, the Grab and Gojek drivers used WhatsApp to create thousands of DIY community spaces. Loose driver groups changed into independent, cross-company communities that were organised by drivers for drivers. Yet, this type of disruption is not considered as such. Tech companies label Uber as an innovative disruption while motorbike taxis that provide a similar service are deemed dangerous or chaotic.

Example of disruption

The promise of disruption is much restrained by terms set by tech companies themselves. Companies increasingly try to prevent the ability to use and build upon existing technologies in ways that the original company does not approve of. However, tech is never the first or last mover of change. It is just one of the forces within a complex social world. To design better technology means to take it out of the centre. Technology that responds to people's needs sees users as more than just passive recipients will be best able to harness its power.

The promise of disruption

There's a wave of innovation led by users and networks, not tech companies.

There's a wave of innovation that we're failing to recognize—and it's being led by users and networks, not tech companies.

technologyandthefuture

Technology & The Future

entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship

creativity

Creativity

startup

Startups

‘Disruption’ Is a Two-Way Street

Inert knowledge is learning information without understanding it, which means you have a limited ability to recognise, express or use it. <ul><li>For example, memorising a math formula without understanding its meaning or implication. Students can learn stuff, pass examinations, and not understand what they have memorised.</li><li>Inert knowledge in language learning is memorising a grammatical rule without understanding what the rule means or how to use it.</li></ul>

Inert knowledge: Learning without understanding

The person knows something, but doesn't understand it, and can't do much with it. <ul><li>They don't understand what the knowledge means, its implications, or how it connects to other knowledge.</li><li>When it's presented in different ways or contexts, they do not recognise it.</li><li>They are unable to apply it in practice or don't know how to use it when there are minor adjustments.</li></ul>

When knowledge is considered inert

“You need facts to make sense; they are the basis for understanding, but they are never enough. Inertia as pathology describes those states of mind where people come to know something but simply can’t go beyond the facts, can’t synthesize them, think with them, or apply them in another situation.”

Bloom's taxonomy describes six major types of abilities based on educational goals:<ul><li>Remembering: Recalling the relevant information from long-term memory.</li><li>Understanding information: Interpreting it, summarising, explaining, and giving relevant examples.</li><li>Application: Implementing information.</li><li>Analysing, such as organising it and understanding how these parts relate to each other.</li><li>Evaluating: Critiquing the information and making relevant judgments.</li><li>Creating new things based on the information.</li></ul>

Six types of abilities in the context of educational goals

It is important to understand the difference between knowledge-telling and knowledge building. <ul><li>Knowledge-telling is a shallow engagement with knowledge, generally by reading or memorising without analysing or reflecting.</li><li>Knowledge-building is engaging deeply with study material by analysing it in-depth and looking at it from various angles.</li></ul>

Knowledge-telling and knowledge-building

There are two main approaches in education to avoid inert knowledge: Teach in a way that encourages the development of active knowledge. When teaching students about a certain concept,<ul><li>help them to understand what it means,</li><li>how it connects to other things, and</li><li>how to apply the information in practice.</li></ul> Encourage people to learn in a way that encourages the development of active knowledge.<ul><li>Explain the concept of inert knowledge to students.</li><li>Explain why it is a problem</li><li>Encourage them to ask themselves guiding questions when they learn new material.</li></ul>

Avoiding inert knowledge in education

“Education with inert ideas is not only useless: it is, above all things, harmful—Corruptio optimi, pessima [the corruption of the best is the worst of all].”

philosophy

Philosophy

The Problem of Knowing Without Understanding – Effectiviology

Communication is key to building strong working relationships, whether with employees or with freelancers. While most organizations have built-in methods and procedures for giving feedback to employees, such as regular 1:1 meetings, many companies lack processes for giving feedback to freelancers, contractors or other members of their virtual talent bench. 
Given that working with freelancers tends to be temporary, it’s too easy to skip over providing feedback to your liquid workforce.

Feedback To The Extended/Remote Team

Whenever possible, critique in private and praise in public. No one likes to be publicly called out for failures or mistakes. 
Critique publicly, and you’re likely to be met with defensiveness. This should go without saying, but if you’re in a bad mood, give yourself some time to clear your head — when giving feedback while upset, your tone will likely make more of an impact than the actual content of the message.

Understand When To Give Feedback

Make sure you’ve got a clear scope of work with detailed milestones and timelines. The scope should be detailed enough so that all parties understand what is expected and when items are due. Daniel Coyle, the author of several books on talent, suggests starting each feedback conversation with one magical 19-word phrase: "I’m giving you these comments because I have very high expectations, and I know that you can reach them."This statement helps your freelancers, contractors and virtual talent bench — and even your employees — feel valued and connected to your business.

Set Expectations

The feedback sandwich both undermines the constructive (negative) feedback being conveyed while also making people suspicious of positive feedback. 
Instead, follow these steps to give clear, concise, specific and constructive feedback after asking for permission.

Avoid The Sandwich Approach

Asking permission can be as simple as asking a question like: Do you have 20 minutes to talk about X? If the answer is yes, then you can move on to those magical 19 words. If the answer is no, then ask when a good time to talk about X is and schedule a time on the calendar. Asking for permission allows the person to prepare mentally for receiving feedback, making the conversation more likely to lead to actionable results.

Asking For Permission

Start by stating what you observed, what impact it did or could have, and then ask questions. Try to be objective and refrain from judging or inferring what happened, giving the freelancer, consultant or contractor time and space to explain.
This framing can help you uncover additional issues that you may have overlooked. In addition, asking questions can encourage self-reflection — allowing the freelancer, consultant or contractor to come up with creative solutions for addressing your concerns.

Start With Statements, Then Ask Questions

Be specific with your critique as well as your praise. The more specific your feedback, the more likely it is to be actionable and useful. Aim for concise clarity — using too many words to blunt the emotional impact of negative feedback will make your message fuzzy. Be intentional with your words and tone. Avoid overgeneralizing, being judgemental or making assumptions about intent. When providing negative feedback, make sure the conversation ends with clearly defined next steps for improvement — this is what separates criticism from constructive feedback.

Be Specific And Clear

If you don’t ask for feedback, you’re unlikely to get it. Don’t forget to also ask for feedback from your freelancers, consultants and independent contractors. Being external to your organization gives them a valuable vantage point. 
Their outside perspective can help them notice things that employees might miss. In addition, working with many clients means that your liquid workforce may have gleaned insights from working with similar organizations.

Ask For Feedback

Providing candid, thoughtful and positive feedback is essential to building strong relationships. Plus, having two-way feedback loops builds trust. Creating a culture of feedback generates a high-performing culture, boosting your team’s performance.Start taking your relationships with freelancers, contractors and remote workers to the next level.

Create A Culture Of Feedback

remotework

Remote Work

How To Give Feedback To Freelancers, Contractors And Remote Workers

Disruptive innovators don't rely on data. They look for patterns and let their unconscious thinking do the heavy lifting. For example, Apple never did formal market research. Target didn't do direct consumer research either. Instead, they used their instincts to infuse leading-edge design.

Relying on data vs gut instinct

The merits of data analysis versus intuition is not an either-or issue. Research showed that participants were better able to process their options after a period of time to engage in an unrelated activity. In other words, they processed data subconsciously.

Use "unconscious thinking" to innovate

Our brains work behind the scenes in unconscious thinking. It synthesises data and draws conclusions without us being aware of it. Researchers found that unconscious thinkers were better able to categorise large amounts of information than other participants who based their choices on weighing options between data points. Unconscious thinkers reported using holistic judgment (a feeling for the big picture) in their decisions.

Intuit the big picture

"Unconscious thinking" helps you analyze data so you make the best decisions.

productivity

Productivity

Use Intuition for Innovation Just Like Apple and Target

The business environment is continuously evolving with the introduction of new products and services. In some cases, we hail disruption as groundbreaking, incredible or the product of genius. In others, we perceive it as ominous or threatening. However, it’s not circumstances that cement the legacy of a company but rather how that company manages them. We define disruption — and what it yields is up to us.

Disruption in business is inevitable

<ol><li>Adopt a human-centric approach to business. Every business is the sum of its internal and external parts — from customers, investors and suppliers to employees and end-users. So the primary effects of disruption are to the people that make up the organization, not the business itself.</li><li>Investigate and redefine customer experiences. Disruption inherently causes shifts in customers’ behaviors and expectations. </li><li>Update your business strategy. Disruptions may come in the form of viruses, new technologies or upstart competitors, just to name a few. Their common denominator is change, and that change can affect both the basis and feasibility of a given strategy. While a company’s service mission may remain the same, its specific plans for accomplishing that mission should be regularly updated to reflect current possibilities. </li></ol>

Best practices for companies looking to leverage disruption

Now is a good time for business leaders to remind themselves that a simple shift in mentality can mean the difference between slipping further into difficulty or rising to new heights.

3 Ways Companies Can Leverage Disruption for Business Growth

The world has changed substantially due to the pandemic. Tourism-dependent countries continue to suffer economic losses as people remain unwilling to travel. Many organizations have found that remote work is successful and are now planning to allow their staff to continue operating outside of the office. To help fuel tourism, countries now offer what has become known as digital nomad visas.

Travel opportunities opening up

A digital nomad lives a nomadic lifestyle using telecommunications technology to work remotely outside their country.  Entering a country as a tourist generally doesn't permit the traveller to work while living there. However, a digital nomad visa gives someone the legal right to work remotely while living away from their country of permanent residence.

Digital Nomad Visa

Pros<ul><li>A digital nomad can enjoy a long vacation while maintaining a stable source of income.</li><li>Due to their remote nature and quick responses, many of the destinations are practically safe havens from coronavirus.</li></ul> Cons<ul><li>The life of a digital nomad isn't for everyone. It requires a job that's remote and flexible in terms of when you clock in.</li><li>Bouncing between countries can be stressful and expensive.</li><li>While moving around can offer opportunities to meet new people, it can strain existing relationships.</li></ul>

Pros & cons of a digital nomad

<ul><li>Anguilla. The Beyond Extraordinary Anguilla program allows digital nomads to reside for up to 12 months.</li><li>Antigua and Barbuda. Nomad Digital Residence (NDR) is a long-stay visa program for remote workers for two years.</li><li>The Bahamas. The Bahamas Extended Access Travel Stay (BEATS) enables digital nomads to work remotely from any of the 16 islands for one year.</li><li>Barbados. The Barbados Welcome Stamp allows visitors to work remotely for up to one year.</li><li>Bermuda. The Work From Bermuda Certificate enables digital nomads to work remotely for 12 months.</li></ul>

Regions that offer a program for remote workers (1)

<ul><li>Cabo Verde. The Cabo Verde Remote Working Program is available to remote workers from Europe, North America, the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP), and the Economic Community of West African States (CEDEAO). The visa is valid for six months but can be renewed for another six months.</li><li>The Cayman Islands. The Global Citizen Concierge Program targets the wealthier remote worker. The minimum salary requirement per annum for a single person is $150,000 USD.</li><li>Costa Rica. The Rentista offers a two-year remote work opportunity.</li><li>Croatia. Temporary stay is available for up to one year.</li></ul>

Regions that offer a program for remote workers (2)

<ul><li>Curaçao. This island offers the @HOME program, available for remote workers for six months but can be extended for another six months.</li><li>The Czech Republic. For this visa, Zivno, applicants must first receive a trade license for one of the jobs on a list in addition to their remote work.</li><li>Dominica provides an 18-month Work In Nature (WIN) Extended Stay Visa for digital nomads.</li><li>Estonia. The official Digital Nomad Visa allows remote workers to remain in the country for up to one year.</li><li>Georgia. The Remotely From Georgia program allows digital nomads to work within the state for one year.</li></ul>

Regions that offer a program for remote workers (3)

<ul><li>Germany's residence permit is available to self-employed workers for three months, but this can be extended up to three years.</li><li>Iceland. The long-term visa for remote workers program is available to any country that doesn't require a visa to travel to Iceland.</li><li>Malta. The Nomad Residence Permit allows digital nomads for up to one year.</li><li>Mauritius. The island nation's Premium Travel Visa offers one year of remote working and can be renewed.</li><li>Mexico. Mexico's Temporary Resident Visa is targeted toward (but not restricted to) Canadians. They can work for 180 days to four years.</li></ul>

Regions that offer a program for remote workers (4)

<ul><li>Montserrat. The British Overseas Territory’s Montserrat Remote Work Stamp is valid for one year.</li><li>Norway. The Independent Contractor Visa provides two years of residence within Norway.</li><li>Portugal offers an independent workers visa valid for one year and can be renewed twice.</li><li>Seychelles. The Seychelles Workcation program is available from any of the 115 islands that comprise the archipelago from one month up to a year.</li><li>Taiwan. The Taiwan Employment Gold Card is a four-in-one card, combining an open-ended work permit, resident visa, alien resident certificate and reentry permit.</li></ul>

Regions that offer a program for remote workers (6)

Remote work opportunities have expanded significantly due to COVID-19. Here are the 24 regions offering programs for aspiring digital nomads.

artsandculture

Society, Arts & Culture

Countries Offering Digital Nomad Visas

In the first five to ten minutes of a race, riders pull to the side of the road, pull their shorts down just like you would underwear and do their business. During this neutral rollout, there's lots of time to catch back on to the peloton. Once the pace picks up, it's easier to wait for a lull in the race when a big part of the peloton pulls to the side of the road. But, they also pee off the bike while riding.

How Tour de France riders relieve themselves

<ul><li>The cyclist who has won the most Tour de France titles: It is a four-way tie between Jacques Anquetil, Miguel Indurain, Eddy Merckx, and Bernard Hinault.</li><li>The World Wars caused the race to be put on hold: WWI broke out several days after the 1914 Tour and didn't run again until 1919. The race also didn't take place from 1940 to 1946 during WWII and a while after.</li></ul>

The cyclist with the most titles. Tour on hold.

The newspaper that first started and sponsored the race, L’Auto, was printed on yellow paper as an advertising strategy. On rest days, the cyclists go for short rides (up to three hours) to keep their legs from cramping and to keep inflammation at bay.

The yellow jersey. Resting days.

Around 3.5 billion people watch the Tour each year during the weeks of coverage. The winner of the final individual general classification (GC) receives 500,000 Euros. Winners usually share their prize money with their teammates. In addition, there are prices for the second GC and third GC. There is also prize money for stage winners, winners of the points classification and mountains classification, intermediate sprints, and certain climbs.

The third-largest sporting event in the world

<ul><li>Tyre pressure. Every racer has a specific and top-secret tire pressure based on weather and the rider's personal preference. Generally, tire pressure is 8 to 8.5 bar for road stages and 9.5 to 10 bar for time trial stages. Around 115 psi in the front and 125 psi in the back for road stages and 130-135 psi for time-trial stages.</li></ul> <ul><li>Bikes from the 1900s used to weigh a whopping 40 pounds each. Today, the minimum bike weight is 6.8kg (14.99 pounds).</li></ul>

Tyre pressure and weight

How do riders pee on the bike? Why is there no women’s Tour? Why is the leader’s jersey yellow? We’ve got the answers.

To Be a Good Manager, You Have to Be a Good Teacher

4 Steps to Creating a Strategy in an Uncertain World

The power of peer coaching (and how to do it well)

‘Disruption’ Is a Two-Way Street

The Problem of Knowing Without Understanding – Effectiviology

Gaurav Bhasin