communication. community. cognition.
Training
I’m in training today, and as much as I learn from being in a session, I learn even more from conducting one. Leading a class forces you to bone up on not just the immediate subject matter, but also the secondary pieces that might come up in conversation. When I want to learn something well, I generally engineer a teaching moment.
For someone who preaches that philosophy, it took me long enough to use it at home. I still have to ride Laura (5) and Ryan (3) pretty hard to get them to brush their teeth properly. Last night, out of desperation more than anything else, I blurted out:
“Laura, teach your brother how to brush his teeth.”
I’ll probably ask her to do it again tonight. And the next night. I’ll work with her on the finer points, so her instruction gets better and plainer. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before. Sometimes, it’s hard to break the barrier between work-think and home-think.
Do any of you have examples of times where the lessons from home provided a solution at work, or vice versa? Share them below.
[tags]Ike Pigott, Occam’s RazR, education, mentoring, parenting, teaching, coaching[/tags]
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Negotiation is a beautiful thing.
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~~~~
“If you can’t do the small things well, you won’t do the bigger ones well, either.”
~~~~
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I often get my kids to repeat the request I have just made. That way I know they are listening to me and that we both have the same understanding of the task and the expected deliverable. But in kids terms. It just looks a bit harsh in print.
about 3 years ago
Ike,
It’s true. Sometimes it all feels the same.
I still use management training gleaned from working at a fast food restaurant in high school: tell them how, show them how, let them do it with guidance, and then on their own (with follow up as needed).
If you can get them to teach someone else how, even better, because teaching reinforces the fine points that can be put into practice.
Hmmm … maybe you can ask Laura to give you pointers on your teeth brushing (make a mistake or two for her benefit).
Best,
Rich
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