Sometimes, we write something, build something, or create something that we look back on in three or four years and are embarrassed of what we’ve done. The Timehop app is a double-edged sword, isn’t it? One post brings back warm memories while another post makes you wonder why you ever posted that picture, comment, or status. WHAT was I thinking?
There are so many things that I’ve been a part of and done in my career that I would do differently today. I now know that I had incomplete information, too much bravado, or not enough experience. But the core methodology that we’ve used to build ADDO and have employed with several organizations is something that has proven to be more true and effective over time.
When we created this methodology, we believed it was right, but we had no idea how self-validating it would be in every program, every experience, and every curriculum we create for our clients.
Res ipsa loquitur is a Latin phrase that means, “The thing speaks for itself.” The results of this methodology speak for themselves. But today, we won’t talk about the results; we’ll simply unpack the method. My hope is that you’ll apply it to your own creation, whether it be a Monday morning meeting, a chapter of curriculum content, a Sunday School class, or a customer experience.
It’s three words: engage, expose, and equip.
Engage
Meet people where they are. It’s a hallmark of everything we do.
When I was trying to recruit college students to help people affected by HIV/AIDS, we engaged them by involving the popular football coach on campus. When we were trying to get college students to go to Africa with us, we talked about safaris and vineyards. And before we present leadership lessons in Chick-fil-A Leader Academy, we meet students where they are with relevant content.
So many people get this process backwards and try to immediately expose people to their ideas or equip them to change the world, but until you’ve actually engaged them, you haven’t earned the right to transfer knowledge and make an impact.
Expose
This is the easiest part if you do the other two correctly. Expose them to your idea, principle, concept, product, or service. Once you have engaged them, you have earned the permission to introduce whatever it is you’re trying to do. Unfortunately, this doesn’t happen often enough. Too often people miss out on what we’re sharing because we haven’t gotten their attention from the start.
Equip
Once you’ve presented the idea, the plan, or the product, give them the tangible tools to act on what you’ve shared.
If it’s a lesson, equip them with the ability to apply it.
If it’s a new technique, tell them how to put it into practice.
If it’s a product, let them know how they can purchase it and use it.
If it’s a new policy in your organization, equip them with the ability to make it true.
These three words are at the core of all of our leadership products, programs, and experiences. We engage people, meaning we meet them where they are; we expose them to a timeless truth or practical principle; and we equip them with the tangible tools to go out and lead.
The methodology works. So, take it. Use it. Apply it. And go do something to the change the world around you.
