Practice makes perfect

ONE QUESTION which may interest everyone, but most especially the leaders and managers among us, is: What can we do to help people improve their performance?

A friend once recited to me a litany of her daughter's transgressions -- after which she exclaimed in exasperation: "She has such a high IQ! I just can't understand why she does these things?"

It reminded me of another instance when another friend who runs his own business complained about his people: "They do such sloppy work. They have undergone all sorts of training but they still make so many blunders."

Leaders, managers and supervisors are familiar with what happens sometimes after people undergo training. Many participants emerge out of the program with high levels of understanding about what they should do when they are back on the job. They just fail to do it when they get there,

Knowing does not equal doing -- nor is it necessarily followed by doing. We may know a concept and its technical details but we may not be able to put those concepts and details into action. How can we help people practice what they have learned? What are the skills we need to be able to help others develop themselves?

When I was running a media department at a government bureaucracy, I had two staff members -- both multi-awarded writers -- holding senior positions and who were being considered for supervisory positions.

One of them, Vince, stayed at his desk puffing a cigarette -- in spite of a big NO SMOKING sign in the room -- writing the articles assigned to him, no more, no less. He had his own small circle of friends and he did not mix with his team members. He rarely attended staff gatherings.

The other guy, Ted, took a different approach to his work. Like Vince, he too finished writing assignments given to him but he used his spare time to socialize with his office mates and to find out about their interests, projects and concerns. When others needed his help, he gave it readily.

Although Vince was the more conscientious writer, I was inclined to give the supervisory job to Ted. He excelled in what we now call Emotional Intelligence (EQ) competencies -- like team-building and taking initiative. But there was more to what he was doing than simply knowing about a winning strategy. He also had the requisite emotional competence to implement it. If Vince wanted a supervisory job, he would have to master these competencies himself

Developing the expertise to move others to action certainly requires, on our part, more than a one-hour, one-on-one session with the people we supervise. Daniel Goleman, author of the book Emotional Intelligence, has formulated five guidelines that can help us in our efforts to help others improve their performance.

FIRST, work out with a person what needs to be improved, from his profile of strengths and limitations. Make sure he is ready to undertake this work of self-improvement.

SECOND, motivate him to make competence his personal goal for change. Change can happen only when it is self-directed.

THIRD, help him to focus on clear, manageable goals. People need clarity on what the competence is and the steps needed to improve it.

FOURTH, to prevent relapses, give performance feedback, encourage practice and arrange support. Lasting change requires sustained practice both on and off the job. Like-minded people who are also trying to make similar changes can offer crucial ongoing support.

FIFTH, provide encouragement and recognition. Change happens faster if there is support for the change, if the competency being learned is valued, and if there is a safe atmosphere for experimentation. We can reinforce the change in others by giving recognition. People need to feel that their efforts matter.

Assuming Vince is interested in developing his emotional competencies and assuming that I had followed the above-mentioned five guidelines In his case, how will I know if he is well on his way to a supervisory position? From how he will automatically react in a particular situation. When an occasion for interaction presents itself, does he remain at his desk puffing on his cigarette or does he stand up to consult several co-workers who have helpful information and expertise? If he spontaneously steps out of his cubicle to approach a colleague and does so effectively -- voila! -- this may be an indication that he is starting to develop (and may eventually master) a new habit.