Four Learning and Development Secrets from a Six-Year-Old’s Homework
Director, Program Development
Box of Crayons
When my son was almost six years old and in grade one, he’d only been reading for about two and a half months. Part of his learning included nightly reading. One night, about halfway through the book, he said, “Mama, whoever drew these pictures is REALLY good. They look so real!”
Plot twist? Ummm … yeah. They WERE real. They were photographs, not an artist’s rendition.
This moment REALLY struck me and made me think about a few things related to learning and development that I’d like to share:
1. Your skill level DOES NOT dictate where someone else should be
Skill acquisition and learning is personal. It comes at its own pace and on its own schedule. I was genuinely shocked that he didn’t know that those were actual photographs. Because it seemed so damn obvious to me. But what the hell would my level of learning and understanding have to do with his?
Challenge: Look around you at those employees whose skill level and learning acquisition is surprising or frustrating to you. Humbly ask yourself how much of that frustration is coming from evaluating them against YOUR bar? How might you approach coaching and supporting skill development if YOUR level of skill attainment WASN’T the bar?
2. Someone’s skill level in one area DOES NOT NECESSARILY dictate their skill level in another area
My son is bright in so many areas. His intelligence in these various areas made it almost impossible for me to understand how he wasn’t yet able to differentiate between a photograph and a drawing. Truth be told, I almost felt a bit frustrated. In my head I was thinking, “Seriously? You’re so bright, Aiden. How can you not know these are photographs?”
Challenge: This little game can often play out with our high performers. The bar is set so high that sometimes we have little patience if/when those employees don’t/can’t shine in EVERY aspect of their role. That lack of patience can truly negatively impact your ability to support, coach, encourage and engage that employee. Think about a particular high performer who is struggling in a certain area and consider how you might coach and support them differently and allow for them to not be brilliant in every area.
