Have you asked yourself, “Why did they mess this up?” after you came back to follow up on an ask for another person? Whether it’s a child, roommate, partner, or co-worker, it can be a frustrating experience for both parties when a task doesn’t end with a nice high-quality solution or product.
We as leaders should take the majority of that miss as our own responsibility, For a number of reasons, we often skip or gloss over training and instructions. By applying the 10-80-10 Principle to our teaching, delegation, and knowledge transfer, you’ll be applying some solid emotional intelligence while helping the other person successfully take on a new task.
The 10-80-10 Principle
The 10-80-10 Principle is a teaching theory that the leader, or teacher (you) spends 10 percent of the time showing the person how to do or accomplish the task that you want them to handle. For the next 80% of the time, you are letting the person move the thing forward or create the solution. Finally, you return and spend the final 10 percent of the time helping them tweak and polish the thing while showing the Why behind the small changes that you are making together.
The first 10: Show them how it’s done
Before you get started with teaching a person a task to do, you need to realize that it is going to take an investment on the front end from you. I love to teach communication where the premise is that they write out directions and teach me how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. It’s humorous and eye-opening for the people in the room as the majority of the directions end without a sandwich being made. The root of the failure is that the group skips steps in the directions and assumes that I know what I am doing. It’s not uncommon for the directions to lead to torn bread containers or a whole jar of peanut butter to be between the bread.
Be sure to slow down and thoroughly explain and teach the steps in the task as you share your knowledge with the other person. Making the time investment here ensures that there is minimum frustration on the learner’s part, and likely will save you time in the long run because you won’t need to spend resources fixing and re-doing work.
The next 80: Let them take a shot at it
We know that people learn best by doing and practicing. Before they start off doing this new thing, make sure that they have all the resources that they need in order to feel comfortable and well-equipped. As they get to work on the thing, be sure to give them a healthy and supportive distance as they get to work. There’s nothing less fun when you are learning a new task as when you also feel the pressure of your leader right over your shoulder and you figure things out.
The last 10: Polishes and reinforcing
Once the task is complete or the thing created, it’s time for you as the leader and teacher to come back and help put on the final touches and make any adjustments to meet your standard of quality. The learner should be expecting this so don’t consider expecting the work as micro-management – you are simply helping them see what they can improve on next time.
As you make your tweaks and adjustments, be sure to communicate why you are making those changes, so that there is clarity for the learner. Otherwise, the tweaks can be interpreted in many different ways, including it being just your personal preference and not the true standard that they need to hit.
Does the 10/80/10 principle apply to all teaching?
While the 10/80/10 principle is a solid way to ensure that the knowledge transfer and quality of the final product is top-notch, there are times when it’s not advised to use the method:
- When time is critical “This has to be done right now.”
- When they know the subject matter better than you.
- When they need more autonomy to do the thing right.
- When maximum creativity or a new approach is the desired outcome.
As you teach your people, start them off on the right foot, let them move the thing forward, and then revisit to polish and add feedback. You’ll be able to successfully move things off of your plate while setting the other person up for a high standard as they take ownership.
Make a better tomorrow.
-ZH
