When you try something new, do you expect yourself to be 100% right on the first attempt?
Or, do you allow yourself some “learning slack”, maybe put a goal that is possible to reach before you expect yourself to master your new skill? I believe that the second approach will build self-confidence and measurable progress.
We know that behaviors are developed step by step and that they will not be a 100% correct to start with. So we need to recognize the different phases of behavioral development: awareness, understanding, acceptance, engagement and responsibility.
We need to identify the expected initial reaction, the early indicators and how we will be able to see that the desired behaviors are displayed. In that way we can recognize efforts and support the desired development.
So we need to clarify what to look for when and also determine how different roles contribute over a period of time. This is why you need to build partnerships, a trainer can’t solve on his/her own, a manager needs support and guidance and the organization needs skills and insights to drive the requested development and monitor the critical situations.
Don Kirkpatrick designed a 4-level model to evaluate the results of a training program. The points to follow-up on for each of the 4 levels are often the same activities that drive and support the desired behavior. While building an evaluation plan to display a solid chain of evidence you also build a plan to increase the impact of your program.
The use of Promote shows progress and activities concretely and makes follow-up on desired behaviors easy. It also supports and drives the desired behaviors as well as builds self-motivation and provides feedback for the participant.