Fixing Feedback

Chapter 10 Embedding ‘remarkable’ in your organisation

Like many of you, I have attended copious training programs. I have also designed and run hundreds. From these experiences, my research and my observations, I have learnt the following.

• Changing habits is uncomfortable and it requires work. Trying something new is not easy and can be counterintuitive. We don't like pushing through awkwardness, even if it will help us improve. We stay trapped in our fears about having the tough conversations.
• People are often not supported to embed the change. Businesses send people to training programs and expect them to transform, grow and develop overnight — without providing ongoing training, reminders or new systems and processes.
• We are unsure of how to integrate the learning into the workplace. While businesses realise that training is not enough in itself, they are unclear about the ‘what next’. How do they ensure the learning sticks? They feel like they should know this stuff but they don't.

Then there are the reasons that people are reluctant to share — yet are very real.

• We are waiting for those around us to step up, and then we will. ‘When he does, I will’, and ‘When she stops, I will too’ are common catchcries. If everyone's waiting for someone else to do something, inaction becomes the norm.
• We are stuck in old-school habits. In chapter 1 we spoke about the command-and-control style of leadership, which is all about ‘you do as I say’. This style continues even after people ...