Develop People Through Observation

Education

“Observation is the foundation of helping subordinates grow,” says Jed Stone. “Understand what they cannot do. See why they cannot do it. Think about how they can.”

An instructor bears great responsibility because they must ensure that soldiers do not die on the battlefield.

In business as well, managers who carefully observe their subordinates bring success to both individuals and organizations.

Deep Dive

When I was young, whenever I watched movies showing military instructors training soldiers, I used to think:

"They really put these people through impossible challenges."

For example, during obstacle-course training, when soldiers were trying to climb a high wall, the instructors would not help them even when they were struggling. Instead, they pushed each individual to give everything they had. If a soldier still could not make it, the instructors would create situations in which other soldiers would help him.

Watching scenes like that, I would think:

"So this is how they prepare people to survive on the battlefield—by putting them through hardship."

What I never considered was:

"What is the instructor actually thinking while assigning these exercises?"

It was only after joining McKinney Rogers that Jed explained it to me.

"During training, instructors closely observe every soldier. While observing them, they identify what each person can do, what they cannot do, and what they need to learn before being sent into combat."

Only then did I realize:

"Of course. An instructor has no value if all he does is bark orders."

Damian took the point even further.

"It isn't just physical training. At military academies, instructors constantly observe officer cadets during classroom exercises as well—while they are learning operational planning, leadership, and other intellectual skills. The instructors are judging whether the cadets are developing the skills and behaviors that are essential for leadership."

Whenever I work with Jed and Damian, I am amazed by how quickly and accurately they assess both internal and external staff.

When I invited them to work as consultants for my previous company while I was serving as president, I asked them:

"How can you understand the strengths and weaknesses of my people so quickly? It took me more than a year of working with them to figure those things out."

Their answer was simple.

"We've spent our lives making judgments about people in situations where lives were at stake. If you cannot do that, you cannot be an instructor or a commander."

When they told me, "A leader must observe subordinates relentlessly," I was reminded of an experience from my university days.

During summer vacations, I spent almost every day helping coach high-school swimmers at my former school's swim team.

In swim practice, if there is one coach assigned to each lane, six lanes require six coaches. That way, every swimmer can be watched properly. For that reason, we alumni volunteered as coaches whenever possible.

One day, we held a joint practice session with our rival, S High School. I was coaching in the same lane as Y, a senior swimmer who was one year ahead of me. Not only had he been a fast swimmer himself, but he had also developed many outstanding athletes.

That day, he criticized my coaching.

"You don't understand the basics of coaching."

"Really? What am I doing wrong?"

"You're not observing the swimmers carefully enough. Think about it. A swimmer can't see what their own stroke looks like while they're swimming. They don't even know their time until they finish."

"Yes, I struggled with that myself."

"That's why coaches give advice like, 'Keep your elbow higher,' or 'Imagine entering the water three centimeters farther forward.'"

"Right."

"But that's not the important part. The important part is what comes afterward. A coach's job is to keep watching and see whether the swimmer is actually making the adjustment, and then confirm whether the adjustment is improving the swimmer's time."

"You observe them that closely?"

"Of course. Even if swimmers make a correction, they'll often abandon it if their times don't improve immediately. The poor time might simply be because they're getting tired, but they'll assume the change isn't working and go back to their old habits. That's why a coach must observe carefully. When you can see that the swimmer has made the correct adjustment, you tell them, 'You're doing fine. Keep doing exactly that.' Then, when their times start improving with the corrected technique, you encourage them by saying, 'See? Your times are getting better too.'"

His words were a revelation.

At the same time, I felt embarrassed by the way I had acted up until then—arrogantly telling swimmers things like:

"Change this."

or

"Your time is slow. Swim another set."

without truly observing them.

What shocked me when I heard Damian and Jed explain the importance of observation was that I had actually learned the same lesson back in university.

Yet for twenty years as a business leader, I had failed to apply it.

The specific experiences from swimming and the challenges of business had never connected in my mind.

Then these former military leaders showed me concrete examples from the extreme world of the armed forces. At the same time, they taught me the universal principle behind those examples:

"A leader must always observe the people they lead."

Only then did I finally understand the true essence of coaching.