To make learning fun, turn it into a game – and put it to work

There’s a classic joke. In Philadelphia, someone asks, “How do I get to the Academy of Music on Broad Street?” The answer: “Practice.”

In his book, Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell shows that raw talent and insight are not enough. There are no shortcuts. It takes 10,000 hours of practice to achieve greatness – as a leader, healer, scientist or athlete.

The problem is – most of us quit well before we log 10,000 hours. Your board and advisors may say, “Don’t give up. Tough it out. Man (or woman) up.” But it’s too easy to declare victory and move on to something shiny and new – before the skills you need are encoded and fluent. And there’s too much low-lying fruit, that delivers a lower payoff but requires less personal investment.

So what’s the answer to make learning stick? And accelerate the process – so one hour in a workshop is like 100 hours of the daily grind?

Make it fun, vivid, lively, provocative. Dramatize the snags and difficulties that require sharper instincts and agility. Keep score. Keep upping the pace and the level of complexity. Laugh. And infuse it all with a spirit of camaraderie, in virtual or live interaction.

What. We start each leadership module with a challenge. It may be a simple “Count the Fs” brain-teaser or a complex sailing expedition through the Haida Gwaii Islands of British Columbia. It may be a fast-paced multi-player computer game or a jigsaw puzzle to assemble while blindfolded. You bring us the leadership dilemma. We’ll select – or build – the activity to dramatize it. And require quick reflex-reaction decisions that PowerUP Brilliance™.

So what. US Army Rangers, British Special Forces and Israeli Golani know the power of after-action analysis. When the activity is over – or on a “time out!” – and it’s time for reflection. To ask, “What dilemmas did we face? What decisions worked well? What traps could we have handled better?” And then hit the reset button and try it again, with laughter and joy, critique and encouragement – until we get it right.

Now what. Most gameification ends at the “so-what” – with the fun, the AHA! and the play it again. Pity, because what PowersUP Brilliance™ isn’t what happens in a simulation or coaching activity. It’s what transfers back to the job. With mobilization maps, GroupMind Express® collaboration tools, coaching trios, shadowing, weigh-ins and problem-solving panels – we bring gameification to work and make it part of the daily routine, so the lessons stick.

Intrigued? Let’s talk about what we can do to equip your leaders to lift their game and PowerUP Brilliance.

To see how, with a gameification plan that will PowerUP Brilliance™ and keep you on the course to mobilize teams for breakthrough performance — click here to download our white paper >>

Or, to start a dialogue, contact us @ info@courageadvisors.com