Crawl, Walk, Run
"Train your people well enough so they can leave. Treat them well enough so they don't want to." Sir Richard Branson
A newborn baby does not walk immediately following birth. We should not expect an employee to execute a task they have never done before with speed and confidence. In the Army, we used the Crawl, Walk, Run concept in training to ensure individuals and teams learned effectively. It is useful to a business. Given time, a leader can deliberately lead a person or group through each of these phases coaching, teaching, and mentoring every step of the way. The challenge is most organizations are lean with people yet rich with tasks. Time is precious and scarce. This challenge not withstanding, the Crawl, Walk, Run concept should still be understood and used, even if done in hurried succession.
Crawl
The Crawl phase is the 'understand' before 'execute' phase. In the this phase, a person can spend time talking through steps and tasks or writing them on a dry erase board instead of executing to become familiar with what needs to be done. Oversight - micromanagement even, is needed in this phase to catch a person before they fall and to teach them.
Walk
In the Walk phase, individuals or teams are executing tasks but are doing so under some supervision. Autonomy begins to creep in as confidence and acumen builds.
Run
In the Run phase, individuals or teams are fully functioning. They are operating with greater confidence, at full speed. This does not mean zero oversight. It is a leader's constant duty to check on tasks and people.
Notice a 'doing' theme here? This is not to say spend no time upfront teaching. That can and should be done but the quicker you get people and teams executing, the faster they will gain skills and confidence.
Each of these phases may last days or only moments but the concept is important to foster better learning. Leaders should announce the phase, do the training required to prepare a person or team, then lead them through it. Once the leader senses confidence and capability, he or she can announce the transition to the next phase. If done right, a leader will have trained his or her people how to train the next individual or group to crawl, walk, then run.
Step back for a moment from your chaotic schedule and consider the Crawl, Walk, Run concept. Envision what activities and what oversight would occur in each phase and lead your people through it. Holler if I can help!
Make it Personal!
Rob
Rob Campbell