Image via WikipediaWell folks, here it is: The final post in our Task Cycle® series. We’ve had a great time writing articles about the Task Cycle in terms of ice cream, DIY home projects, monster-sized river fish, and elementary school students, and we hope you’ve enjoyed reading them. For those of you who may be tuning in for the first time, be sure to check out our other Task Cycle® articles.
Today, we’re going to be addressing the final phase of the Task Cycle®: reinforcing the performance of others. Once you have completed all other steps of the cycle and your purpose has been achieved, you must reinforce the performance of other contributors.
What do we mean by this? Haven’t you worked hard enough the past few months, working with coaches and continuously monitoring and adjusting your own progress? You just got the hang of this “personal development” thing yourself—who are you to advise or praise others?
The best way that I could come up with to explain this is by starting on a plane. Every time an airplane takes off, the flight attendants give their “what to do in case of an emergency” speech. They tell you where your flotation device is, how to escape using the floatation slide, and what to do if an oxygen mask dropped down from above you due to loss of cabin pressure (ALWAYS put the mask on yourself first, then assist those next to you). These types of emergency situations could be solved by the assessment of the crew combined with the aid of on-board tools and emergency equipment.
Your personal development was your emergency. You (or someone else around you) decided that there was a need for some sort of assessment and coaching. You could either A.) Comply with the coaching process and improve, or B.) Refuse to comply and possibly be fired for your lack of skills and productivity.
If you’ve made it this far through the process, we’re going to go ahead and assume you received assessment and coaching. You’ve learned how to approach a specific issue, and you’ve gotten to the point where you have the skills needed to expand your personal development. Let’s take a minute to flashback to the airplane scene: after the flight attendant instructed you of a potential problem (loss of cabin pressure) and how to fix it, (putting on your facemask—but don’t worry if the bag doesn’t inflate all the way) she also advises you to help those around you. You know what to do, and even though this may be your first airborne emergency, in those twenty-or-so seconds you have developed the skills needed to direct and help others.
Do you see where we are going with this?
Even if you aren’t completely through the intricacies of the process of professional development, (or readjusting your face mask, to continue the airplane analogy) you can still help and instruct others. Take the frail elderly woman sitting next to you in seat 11D. You throw on your own plastic face mask, breathing in the cold air, and even though it isn’t completely comfortable, you assist her in securing her own before finishing adjusting your mask for comfort.
It’s the same process with executive or leadership development. At this point in the Task Cycle, you have learned the necessary skills and are taking the steps critical to continued personal development. Maybe you’re not totally comfortable with your changes, or maybe you are still working to perfect some aspects of your skills. You can still help others achieve their highest potential by giving advice and supporting their efforts. Give them some encouragement! A note, a simple “I see you are working hard to improve,” or even a high-five can work wonders. Don’t forget to give them the positive reinforcement you were given by a mentor, coach, superior, or friend.
And just in case we scared you with the airplane analogy: it’s extremely uncommon for an airplane to lose cabin pressure. It is very common for employees to need leadership development. I’d plan for the latter.
