It is well-known that when people teach others, they achieve a personal clarity that informs their own thinking on the subject. Sharing what they know requires team members to distill their knowledge and explain it in a way that others can easily follow. Once they engage in teaching others, they often reflect on whether they incorporate this knowledge into their own lives and actions.
In the workplace, the idea of learning by teaching can be a powerful tool for leaders, especially when they have offered feedback to a team member who isn’t getting it or is resistant to change. One strategy available to leaders is to ask team members to give advice and feedback to peers who struggle with the same issues they do. In some cases, it isn’t even important for the team member to recognize they have a similar issue
The key is to discuss the parameters for giving the advice, making sure they understand the role they play as peer and teacher. Leaders who use this strategy often bring both parties together and have a three-way advice session. In the case of a leader engaging in this conversation with the peers, it is essential they allow the team members to offer the advice and not to run over them.
Asking those who deflect feedback to give advice to others helps them to think through the avenues for changing their own actions. Better yet, they become conflicted when they don’t follow the advice they give to others. To avoid being a hypocrite, they are compelled to change their behavior so as to match the recommendations to others.
We normally advise others better than we advise ourselves. Good leaders use this idea to their advantage on occasion. Asking a team member to share their advice with a peer on an issue they need to work on can create a breakthrough moment. Those are moments that benefit from a new strategy.
