Learning From the Shadow

Of the many ways we can gain insight, learn how things work, and come to appreciate the details connected to high performance, perhaps none is more powerful than to follow or shadow someone with experience and skill. 

Following the footsteps of those who have mastered the kind of  performance or role we desire to play shows us what moves to make and what actions to avoid. When coupled with feedback and review, shadowing an expert jumpstarts learning and socializes less experienced colleagues more quickly than just about anything else. 

Yet, too few organizations formalize shadowing, even for new team members or those preparing to take on an unfamiliar role. While some experts might view having another person tagging along as an unnecessary nuisance, the benefits clearly outweigh the inconvenience. 

Watching the kind of information, challenges, and issues that confront an expert in real time gives the less experienced a crash course in how things get done with excellence. When structured correctly, this learning is invaluable. 

At its best, shadowing is an experience that last days, not weeks or months. The person who is shadowing is a silent partner in observation, taking notes and asking questions only when the expert has a moment to give attention to the query. 

Rather than just engaging in tasks and various actions, the expert can  speak out loud when possible, detailing how they are going about accomplishing the tasks in front of them. They will occasionally point out an important nuance or aspect of their performance that can be easily missed. They are teachers who show and tell. 

Having someone watch you in action can be hugely distracting, but the best temporary mentors understand the valuable teaching role they play and will put up with this for the good of the team. They quickly learn that explaining what they do and how they do things often creates a new clarity in their own thinking. Never before have they had to deconstruct what makes them so good, and this can be enlightening at times. 

Of the many things those in the shadow role can observe, some of the most important are the messages and requests the experts send and receive. Viewing the emails and others messages these experts craft and respond to, along with the exchanges they encounter during the day, creates deep learning about what is important and what isn’t. 

Organizations and teams that create opportunities for new team members and those soon to take on a new role to shadow an experienced and highly successful performer for a handful of days gives people fast traction without much downside. Those who shadow often report it is the most impactful part of their onboarding or acclimation process. 

It’s a wonder more teams don’t institute the idea. Team leaders would be wise to remember the words of novelist Carlos Ruiz Zafon: “Some things can only be seen in the shadows.”