What a Red Bull Driver Taught Me About Professional Development
I was sitting on a plane, flying to Las Vegas to facilitate my clients' all-company meeting and the guy next to me in seat 6A was chatty. Meeting new people interests me; I love learning about what people do and what lights them up. This connection changed the way I tee up a management framework.
The person in seat 6A was a professional driver for Red Bull.
Interesting. I’ve never met a ‘professional driver’ before, have you?
I was about to present a professional development framework that, at a high level, was based on the premise that people acquire skills based on a scale. You see, typically we say, Are you a cook? And the answer is either yes or no. Do you play golf? Yes or no. Are you a manager? Yes or no. The framework I had been working on with a client for 6-months demonstrates that people acquire skills and that we sit on a scale ranging from Novice, Developing, Proficient, or Expert.
Do you golf, Amy? Um, I have golfed before, but I’d say I remain a novice.
Do you drive, Amy? Yes, I’ve been driving since I was sixteen (unless you count a tractor, then roughly nine).
Most of us who have been driving for as long as I have would say that they are an expert driver. I’ve had only one ticket and one accident, both decades ago (I realize writing this may sabotage my record!). Ask anyone who has a driver's license; they will tell you how great a driver they are.
But are they a professional driver? Have they put in hours and hours, testing their driving skills? Are they certified on the mechanics of the car, testing it before each drive? Are they certified to drive multiple vehicles and a variety of terrain? No. Most people who have had their license have not invested the time to become an expert; most of us are proficient.
This was my a-ha in meeting the Red Bull driver. It gave me language that people understand quickly. Now, no one in the room would claim expert status for their driving skills, they simply hadn’t put in the training, skill development and time.
Proficiency Development Scale:
This translates across all skills.
This isn’t to make anyone feel bad about their skills being only proficient. It’s to show that someone who has put in 10,000 hours into driving, or surgery, or invested significantly into management and leadership skills may be an expert. And if you want to become an expert, it’s not the time in a position that gains deep expertise; it’s true investment in skill development.
I worked with a manager whose team felt under-appreciated. The manager first learned this when their workforce survey results said exactly that: ‘My manager does not appreciate me at work.’ Ouch. Instead of spinning out, this manager leaned in. They got training for themselves and their team on the Languages of Appreciation, then took actions that spoke directly to what their people valued. They went from Novice to Developing to Proficient over several years. That’s real progress.
Ten or even twenty years as a manager does not make someone an expert manager. We have all been witness to someone who says, “I’ve been managing people for twenty years…” and our own experience with them tells us they remain mediocre or worse.
So, as you look at my proficiency development scale, you might ask yourself where you fall on the scale with certain skills. And if you find you're proficient in a skill you'd like to be an expert at, perhaps it's time to invest in growing that skill. Likewise, if it’s a new skill, you’re a novice, but want to become more proficient, aim for moving along the scale into the developing category.
Reflective questions:
What’s one skill that you thought you had achieved, but now that you see the scale you’re not at expert level? How can you invest in that skill to move along the proficiency development scale?
What skill are you comfortable with knowing that you are a novice or developing, and you don’t plan to invest to move further along the scale?
Where do you think you sit on the scale when it comes to managing people? Novice, Developing, Proficient, or Expert?
