Coaches and Instructors have a common expression to capture how best to share knowledge: Meet People Where They Are. Helping people learn requires an understanding of what they already know before offering new information and instruction. Leaders who fail to grasp this idea often stifle learning by glossing over critical understandings and basic skills.
This is an essential leadership insight. Knowing how and when to assess people’s awareness is the hard part. It also reminds me of two, related concepts-- the Small Unit Leadership concept of deciding whether someone is willing and unable, able but not willing or neither. The other concept is the metaphor of the whale jumping over a wire strung above the pool. The wire starts on the bottom of the pool. Swimming over the wire gets the whale it’s first reward. Has anyone else come across that story? Source?
This is an essential leadership insight. Knowing how and when to assess people’s awareness is the hard part. It also reminds me of two, related concepts-- the Small Unit Leadership concept of deciding whether someone is willing and unable, able but not willing or neither. The other concept is the metaphor of the whale jumping over a wire strung above the pool. The wire starts on the bottom of the pool. Swimming over the wire gets the whale it’s first reward. Has anyone else come across that story? Source?
Hi Max, the story you’re referencing is in a book called ‘Whale Done’ by Ken Blanchard
https://www.kenblanchard.com/Store/Whale-Done!
This article doesn’t have your raise wire reference, Max. But it’s funny and gets at a similar goal.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/11/style/modern-love-what-shamu-taught-me-happy-marriage.html
Great input Jennifer-- I read the article just now in the car with my wife!