Goals and jigsaws

I use an exercise in my training courses to demonstrate aspects of learning. I invite participants to complete a small jigsaw (24 pieces) and use how they approached and completed the task to reflect on different ways we learn. This is then applied to thinking about how they might devise induction and training programmes for their staff.

I owe thanks to my friend Bill, who helped me to develop this exercise to a new level yesterday (we happened to be discussing the difficulty of understand tax matters for self employed people!). At the same time it also serves as an analogy for describing one of the ways that working with a coach / mentor / facilitator can help.

It involves trying to complete the jigsaw in reverse i.e. turn the pieces over so that you can't see any parts of the picture - only grey. This removes a lot of the clues we normally use to complete a jigsaw - limiting our information down to just 'shape'. The photo is the result of my attempt! By only having straight edges/corners as a guide, not only was I unable to get pieces in the right place, but it took me ages! Try it at home!

Developing and communicating a vision and engaging staff in the process and task is an essential part of leadership and management. It is also what we do as coaches/mentors and facilitators. Our aim is to work with others to help them to define and 'see' what the picture of their desired situation looks like (sometimes that is not even clear at the beginning), to compare this to what their current reality looks like, what they want it to be - and then how to make that happen through action. As a coach / facilitator, I assist clients to 'unlock' their thinking, help them to find the clues and answers that are inside themselves so that they turn their grey pieces into colour and bring their picture into reality.