He was clearly frustrated. He sat at a table with four other managers discussing their obstacles to providing employee feedback. I overheard him from the back of class.
“I told him to do it and then when I went to check on him he hadn’t done it. So, I told him to write a project plan for how he was going to do it and he gave me gibberish. It made no sense. I had already told him how to do it.”
Do you see the problems already?
For those of us in the learning and development world, this might seem like an easy situation, but for this manager it was obviously not.
The problem is clearly not a feedback issue, but a training issue. Let’s break it down step by step.
Issue #1 — I told him to do it
Our first issue is an issue of knowledge, content, and learning.
It’s difficult to be successful doing anything you’ve never done when you’ve only been told what to do. Learning requires us to gain knowledge for the task as well as the skill and ability to perform the task. When we are verbally told to do something, the mental image required to perform the task may be missing. I’m also going to assume the employee’s required knowledge and context for the task were missing.
Issue #2 — When I went to check on him, he hadn’t done it
Learning requires feedback. We have to know how we are doing in order to continue on a path of doing things correctly. The manger was off to a good start checking in, but the checking in was too late.
When assigning the task the manager had an opportunity to check for understanding. Any deficit the employee might have could surface when the employee shared his version of the task. I’m also wondering if progress check points were communicated.
Issue #3 — I told him to write a project plan
My only question here is, did you give him an example? I think the next question clearly answers the question.
Issue #4 — He gave me gibberish
If you do not get the result you expected, I have to ask the question, how did you set the expectation? Did you provide an example. Did the employee have the knowledge and skill to write a project plan? Had he ever written a project plan before?
It’s easy for managers to see themselves as the provider of tasks in order to accomplish work. I think it is often harder for managers to see the critical role they play in their staffs’ learning. It becomes even more difficult when managers don’t grasp the learning process. Yes, employees can learn by doing and many are quite successful at it, but if you expect a particular outcome by a particular day, providing employees with the knowledge and skills to do the task are critical.
The Learning Focused Manager
Let’s stop shoulding on our manager and look at what workplace learning can look like.
Show Them What You Want
Always default to pictures. Yes, provide your staff with visual images of what you hope to achieve. Those pictures can be physically drawn or given in very descriptive language. The more you have a particular expectation of what you want, the more explicit those pictures should be.
Check For Understanding
The only way you can know if someone understands your directions is by asking them. If you simply say, “do you have any questions,” or, “do you understand,” you will likely be met with a smile and nod or a simple, “nope.” When you change your question you open up a deeper dialogue.
Ask, “can you explain your understanding?” or even “what are your questions for me?”
Set Checkpoints For Feedback
Feedback is essential to our success when learning something new. Set checkpoints with your staff to get updates or see the progress. These checkpoints are not just about checking up on work, but also for providing the essential feedback employees need to know they are moving in your intended direction. It is far better to catch a problem as it is happening rather than after a project has launched.
Focus On Creating A Team Learning Culture
You want your employees to work together. You want them to collaborate and support each other. Build collaboration into your tasks both through asking people to work on tasks together and by providing a clear view of each team member’s contributions. You’ll see this more in the example that follows.
Now, let’s get a little more constructive and replay the exchange the manager has with the employee. Notice, it will take more time up front, but the manager will most likely be saved from frustration he was compelled to share with a room of strangers.
“I need you to complete this assignment by 10/31/2019. There are several parts involved. Let me walk you through them. I’ve also outlined them here for you. <steps explained>
Can you explain to me your understanding of the assignment? “
<listens to employee, clarifies when needed>
“I’ll check in with you tomorrow to see if you have any more questions. You can text me if you run into any problems.”
<one day passes>
“How’s it going?”
<listens to employee>
“Yes, I can see how that could go wrong. Can I offer a solution?
<listens to employee, offers solution if requested>
This is a big enough project, with enough parts, writing a project plan will help you keep everything in order. Here’s an example of a project plan your coworker completed. You can check with her if you have any questions about it.
I’ll check back with you next week. Until then, let me know if you have any questions or get stuck. I want you to be successful.”
It’s easy to believe learning happens in a classroom, on a computer platform, or in the trenches. Managers have opportunities to support workplace learning in every exchange with their employees. It’s a matter of remembering both parties have only some of the information needed to be be successful. Constant communication helps everyone learn.
