L&D innovators are hungry for effective learning solutions. Yet, despite the current industry boom in training and development tools and services, there is an often-ignored learning avenue widely available—at no cost to an organization—that compliments more formal learning.
Remember role models? And not the after-school special, teacher-athlete-parent kind.
Those may still be relevant, but one of the best ways to learn, is to model your behavior after those who have found success. To achieve your goals in business, you can emulate habits, styles or strategies, or seek and enjoy pathways blazed by those you admire. By fostering a work climate that welcomes the role model dynamic, you can create a culture of learning and recognition within your organization.
Yet role models seem to have fallen out of fashion. Why? Sometime since the days of the knight’s apprentice, the notion of learning from a seasoned expert with years worth of knowledge got overshadowed in our fast-paced culture. Famed sociologist, Robert K. Merton, coined the term “role model” (along with sociological heavy-hitters “unintended consequences” and “self-fulfilling prophecy”) in the early part of the 20th century, referencing individuals who compare themselves with those who occupy a social role they aspire to. By the mid-1990’s, the term entered our lexicon.
Role models still have much usefulness in a business context. And unlike formal mentorship programs, which operationally tie a single individual to another and require significant investment from both parties, role modeling is more loose and aspirational. You can have more than one role model, and don’t have to ask anything of their time or rolodex. They’re simply a living model of behavior, a way to learn that allows the admirer to seek value from the relationship (though it certainly doesn’t require one), in whatever capacity benefits the learner most.
Key to this process is on the admirer’s perceived commonality with the model. Role models work because they’re like you, but have done things in their lives that you aspire to. They’re the living embodiment of an ambitious, yet realistic goal. Marginalized workers in particular benefit greatly from the role model dynamic. With these guides in place, role models can have a direct impact on an employee’s choices and career development.
So why formalize something that’s likely happening within your organization already? You don’t have to—role models work whether there’s structure around these principles or not. But if you want to encourage your employees to model their behavior after top performers, here are five tips for building a role model culture:
- Feature the experts within.
Take advantage of internal expertise by highlighting talents from every level of your organization. From business strategists to digital skills gurus to mid-century poetry enthusiasts (whose obscure interest might seem random until the day marketing needs just the right quote), celebrate and exploit subject matter experts like the amazing resources that they are.
- Reward achievement.
Recognize accomplishments both big and small. At Grovo, upon the completion of certain milestones, our managers are rewarded with a small token (sometimes a sticker, patch, or player card) that’s relevant to their achievement, a memento intended to recognize growth. In this case giving out rewards isn’t about the material win, it’s about celebrating a culture of personal development.
- When it works, take it apart.
When honoring an individual’s achievements at your organization, codify their success by asking them what they did and how they did it. Have them share best practices and counterexamples with the team, and when they deliver these insights, make sure they provide all the specific, nitty gritty details that got them there.
- Foster a culture of vulnerability.
Winning teams are built on trust, and trust is only built through vulnerability. Encourage your employees to admit when they’re stuck, and to seek out expertise to match the skills they’re working to hone. Only in a place where even the CEO is willing to confess mistakes and knowledge gaps will you breed a culture where it’s okay to ask and receive help at every opportunity.
- Idolize behaviors, not people.
It’s easy to hold up your best and brightest employees on pedestals, but better to acknowledge the ingredients of their success, behaviors and habits over the unrepeatable intangibles of who they are. When you focus on efforts and contributions over intelligence or talent, you encourage your employees to model those behaviors in a way that benefits all.
By allowing your own employees to shine instead of looking to outside sources, by systematically recognizing the achievements, experience and wisdom of employees who excel, your organization can help individuals reach their full potential. And while formal mentorship programs are the peer-to-peer equivalent of stilted classroom training, role modeling is more like microlearning: small, organic, flexible instruction that’s self-directed, on-demand and delivering value in small ways every day.
