The Skill Development Science We Believe In!
‘Skill’ is consistent manifestation of desired behaviour, as required for the particular situation, audience and goal.
Behaviour manifestation is governed by ‘amygdala’,which is the emotional part of the brain.
We are habituated to execute only those behaviours that are listed in the ‘comfort-list’, maintained by our amygdala.
Our ‘comfort list’ is created based on what we have grown ‘used-to’, irrespective of the effectiveness or efficiency of those actions.
Changing or replacing behaviours in the ‘comfort-list’ of our amygdala cannot be achieved by logic, becasue the ‘amygdala is emotional’.
Logic appeals to the Prefrontal-cortex, the analytical & rational part of the brain. However, the final decision on what behaviour to exhibit is taken by the amygdala.
Our amygdala adds a new behaviour to the ‘comfort-list’ only after confirming (through tiral), that those new behaviours are ‘low-risk’.
The amygdala tries a new behaviour, only when it is convinced that the environment is non-threatening.
Once the new behaviour is successfully practiced multiple times in the low-risk environment, our amygdala adds the behaviour to the ‘comfort-list’.
Addition to the ‘comfort list’ completes the new habit formation process, and the acquisition of a new skill.
The Whole Truth
Engineering a ‘receptive state’ is the pre-requisite for Skill Development.
Learning interventions are likely to bring about the required change in behaviours, only when the individual, team and organization are in a ‘receptive state’.
How do we create & sustain a receptive state?
At SkillTally, we believe a receptive state can be ‘engineered’ through a multi-dimensional approach
- Ensuring that the ‘right metrics’ are in place to trigger the desired behaviours in individuals, teams & organization—what gets measured consistently, gets learnt & done well consistently!
- Enhance awareness of current skill levels & gaps by providing:
- ‘competency comprehension’ assessments to measure what one knows/understands, through questionnaires administered to the target audience
- ‘habituated’ competency assessments, to measure what one does, through questionnaires administered to managers/customers/peers and when required, through simulated assessments centres for the target audience
- Instilling ‘right conviction’ by:
- Creating individual & collective experiences to break the current ‘dissonant beliefs’ that inhibit manifestation of the desired behaviours
- Providing individual & collective experiences to foster ‘harmonious beliefs’ that support manifestation of the desired behaviours
Once the receptive state is achieved, we attempt to inculcate the desired behaviours by:
- Offering self-paced learning to build, strengthen, compliment the knowledge & understanding required for behaviour inculcation & skill enhancement.
- Running a skill gym for individuals/teams to acquire & practise new behaviours in a non-threatening environment
- Exchanging objective feedback on practise of new behaviours
- Providing continuous measurement & reporting of behaviour and outcome metrics
Founder: Ajay Joseph
I am a perpetual student, with over 15 years applied in exploring the art and science of enabling individuals, teams, and organizations; to enable themselves.
After having started my career as a schoolteacher, I ventured into Corporate Learning and Development (L&D) and have had my share of learning – from successes as well as failures – in a variety of domains.
Experimentation with various methods for enhancing performance, has led me to arrive at this ‘distilled’ maxim – ‘What gets measured consistently, gets learnt and done well consistently!’. This is especially true when one regularly examines and persists with the intentional application of one’s talents, in achieving what one wants.
I am also a Gallup-Certified Strengths-Coach. As a coach, I attempt to marry ‘behavioural science’, ‘measurement focus’ and ‘intentional application of top talents’, in enabling clients to achieve their goals, with excellence & enjoyment.
Here are some of the key techniques I employ while coaching:
- The Socratic Method – by asking (pertinent) question after question
- Success Marking Technique – self-monitoring the intentional use of success behaviours and application of top talents.
- TAPs – Talent Application Projects
Everybody perhaps needs a coach, but one needs to be ready for being coached and then seek out a coach with a compatible coaching style. If you are committed to personal growth and keen to persist with the aforementioned coaching techniques; send an email to coaching@skilltally.com expressing your interest and objectives, in seeking a coach.