Our life should to tell a story…

Without getting philosophical, spiritual, or religious about things, at a basic level we all have the gift of life and surely our aim should be to tell a story!?

Whether that story has a big impact on society, the world, or just those around you.  Or whether the story is more personal, is up to you.

One thing is for sure though, none of us want a boring or stagnant life do we?  So, we should all challenge ourselves to think ‘what story am I telling and is it how I expected or wanted it to be?  Is it interesting to me?’

I had opportunity last week to participate in an amazing client experience – one of those programs that doesn’t come along every day, where the client wanted to make a difference and wasn’t afraid to take risks – or our counsel – on how to do it.  The result – an amazing leadership program that not only satisfied the stated learning objectives, but went far beyond in terms of creating momentum and a spirit with the participants.  Interestingly, a large part of our approach focused on how to tell a story – and how to tell a different story when organizational change is a stated goal.   Immersive environments, professional actors, and illustrators all combined with one goal – to re-write the story.

Sometimes just such a break from the past is needed to re-launch our story or to ensure that its constant evolution is on the path that we desire (professionally or personally).  If constant ‘change’, in our personal and working lives, is here to stay… How can we embrace and use this to find opportunities and steps we can take to enrich our life stories and achieve our goals?

It’s just too easy to fall into the trap of stagnating – and we are all guilty of doing it at one stage or another – unless you find time to take stock and look at life through a different lens, with a fresh perspective.  We have to take positive action to navigate to a new part of our story… This could start with learning or experiencing new things, thinking differently, or visiting somewhere new and inspiring.  Look for opportunities to intentionally put yourself outside of the ‘norm’ or your comfort zone.  You may be surprised where this takes you…

Learning new things, thinking differently, and being inspired are great places to start.

Could you benefit from 'learning by stealth'?

A common criticism of face-to-face training is that it gives people a moment of epiphany…but then it’s back to work and, all too often, back to business as usual.  It is well documented that any new skill requires repeated hours of practice to master – yet, we don’t always structure our own personal development in a way that facilitates repeated practice.  So why is that?

The reality is that people are in a hurry.  Development is often viewed as one more thing on the ‘to do’ list and thus the entire process is managed as an event.  As if we don’t learn when not in the ‘training event’!

But learning opportunities are constantly around us.  What if our developmental programs were so well-integrated into daily life that you didn't even know you were being trained?


‘Learning by stealth’ isn't as far-fetched as it might sound.  It’s simply a case of providing a learning experience that is more naturally orchestrated within the day-to-day rhythm of the business. Just think of the advantages:

• The learning is directly related to your own personal circumstances and work objectives
• Learning can be reinforced many times over, ensuring a sustained advantage
• Learning budgets potentially go much further
• Higher participation rates (how many people don’t think they need or have time for training versus how many people would miss a scheduled ‘meeting’)

But learning by stealth still takes a concerted planning effort to pull off – it can’t be left to chance.  Only the most experienced trainers/facilitators can provide the right combination of challenge and support that’s required to bring out the best in each individual, and to ensure that the primary goal of the intervention really is rooted in learning -- otherwise it will just be a meeting!  

And all of these learning opportunities should still be managed in a cohesive way…a stealth architecture perhaps!

The key advantage of this type of approach is that it can be much more impactful than traditional theory and practice style training.  And for many, who in today’s fast-paced and highly entertained world would resent anything akin to boilerplate development, stealth training can achieve breakthrough results.

So next time you’re offered an opportunity for a ‘day of training’ – why not consider how you would structure that development in a way that embeds and sustains your development right in the context of your day.  Perhaps the day of training, is 8 stealth opportunities that just ‘naturally appear’ in the course of your day.  I think you’ll find this approach ensures greater connectivity and relevance, and thus assures you more natural points to practice and develop new skills.

Back to the US

Well I guess I should have headed first to Plymouth and then set sail for America.  I have returned to the US this week, following my predominately London-based assignment of the past 3 years.  While I skipped the symbolic re-enactment in favour of the comfort of my airline seat, I must admit that I am feeling the same mixed emotions that my American forefathers must have felt centuries ago. And while it is pouring rain as I sit and write this from my DC office, I have to say that other adjustments are going to feel, well, foreign!

As any American, I went to the UK prepared for warm beer and bad food J.  But I found many other things that I wasn’t expecting...

• A society far more civil and respectful of individual differences than sometimes encountered in the US
• News that actually covers world events in an objective manner
• The proper pronunciation of ‘aluminium’ – though I still can’t say it without laughing
• Proper manners for queuing (ok, I’m still not really good at that)
• Football matches where someone doesn’t have to win for all to have a good time (sorry, Broncos fans)
• Shoe shopping in stores that actually carry my size
• The difference between my s’s and zed’s
• Why everyone appreciates British humor (humour!)
• The thrill of losing pounds (both in the gym and on Oxford St.)
• McDonald’s apple pies that are still fried (why do we still offer burgers and fries and feel a baked apple pie makes it all better….?)
• How to calculate proper margins on a bottle of Grey Goose
• 101 things to occupy myself in the rain
• Many new friends

Immersing yourself in a culture that is different from your own is an opportunity of a lifetime and I will forever be grateful to my extended UK family for making my time feel as if I belonged.  I will be back to the UK often, and I’m comforted in knowing that it will always feel like a second home.

I do look forward to my time in America, and catching up with family, friends and colleagues -- and most importantly, my dog!  Professionally speaking, there are exciting plans for our US operation and I will enjoy being close to the action.  And let’s face it -- the UK doesn’t have an IHOP, so really how long could that have lasted?

Those that have known me the longest were amazed I willingly embraced the opportunity to live abroad.  I typically prefer the comfort of my surroundings and routine, and I don’t like to eat anything that ‘mama didn’t cook’.  But as I reflect, I have to say how pleased I am that I went exploring.  It is one of the biggest learning opportunities one can experience.

I realize most people won’t get the opportunity to experience total immersion in a new culture – but one thing we can witness is the impact that cultural differences and personal histories have in our everyday workplace.  It seems that most of us come naturally from a position of feeling that the way we have always done something, or been taught to do something, is the best.   Certainly, as a proud American, I assumed we had it all figured out!  Opening your mind to consider that there are different, even better, ways of doing something is a reaction that should be cultivated.  Relocation just forces it in a big way!

In today’s world we are each surrounded by people of different backgrounds and beliefs, usually without leaving our own backyards.  Allow yourself the freedom to learn from others, their ‘norm’ and the collective power that diversity of thinking breeds.

Step out of line

A key challenge for anyone involved in learning and development is actually helping people to ‘unlearn’.

The problem is that, from an early age, we all become conditioned to respond in a certain way - and changing that conditioned behavior is not easy.

I recently encountered a prime example of this at London’s international train station, St Pancras. When you exit this very busy station, there’s a sign near the taxi rank that says: ‘Queue here’ - and everyone does. Every taxi stops precisely at the sign; every person queues the other side.  And consequently only one taxi loads at a time (despite there being hundreds of people waiting on an entire string of empty taxis right in front of them). By contrast to the long queue at St. Pancras, Paddington Station, another famous London train station, has nine taxi bays and an attendant ensures that each of them loads simultaneously – a seamless and efficient loading process. Someone has found a better way.

Why St. Pancras is set up this way I have no idea.  Why someone with any authority has never noticed the problem and addressed it, crazier still. But even more puzzling to me is the universal conformist human behavior that keeps everyone in line, even when the solution is so obvious. What is it that prevents a random collection of hundreds of people, from all walks of life, from stepping out of line?

From an early age we are taught – stay in line, toe the line, don’t cut in line. Hell, we’re not even allowed to color outside of the lines. Is it any wonder we are conditioned heavily against stepping out of line?

Are people in your organization rigidly adhering to a particular process because they’ve become conditioned to behave in a certain way? Do they continue that pattern even when a more efficient or logical solution is staring them in the face – just on the other side of the sign perhaps!

Step out of line occasionally. Noting that it is polite to explain to those around you why you are doing it.