The “Teach The Class” exercise
Today I was talking with a project manager who was frustrated. His production crew kept calling and texting him with questions.
"The information is in the system," he said, "but they're too lazy to look it up."
"Is that true?" I asked. "Do you think it's because they're lazy? Or is there another possible answer?"
"It sure feels like it," he replied. "Their first thought is to ask me for the answers because I have the information they need. It's easier to text me than it is to open up the system and look it up."
I tell him that this is where I invite my clients to try something I call "Teach The Class."*
TEACH THE CLASS
"I want you to imagine that I'm new in the business," I say. "I've just started my own company like yours, and I'm the PM. I want to create a company that has this exact issue you're complaining about. That my production crew doesn't go to the software to find the information—they shoot me a text instead. Can you teach me how to create that scenario in my business?"
He pauses. "You want me to teach you how to be frustrated like me?"
"Yes," I say. "And really ham it up. Start from the beginning and throw yourself into the role of teacher. I want what you have! I want to be standing here in five years, complaining that my production crew is lazy and texts me for information that's in the system. How do I start?"
At this point, he's willing to play.
He spells out the many little steps and decisions that created the scenario: complicated spreadsheets, opaque workflows, the fact that he immediately responds to every text with the information they're looking for, and more.
We end up laughing and hamming it up together. And as a result of this play, he clearly sees where his responsibility lies—how these little decisions have resulted in what he complains about.
Absent is the shame and self-criticism high achievers are prone to. The opportunity to beat himself up about it has been overtaken by a sense of humor and lightness and he sees how he got to this spot. The next step is to repair the compromised trust, and revise those little decisions into clear processes, simple systems, and defined responsibilities.
It's difficult to see how we create what we complain about. It's easier to lay blame outside ourselves—getting stuck on the drama triangle of victim, villain, and hero.
The "Teach The Class" exercise is a kind and playful way to get there. Wanna play?
*Originally developed by The Conscious Leadership Group