ACCELERATE LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT WITH OPTIMAL DESIGN SIX KEY PRINCIPLES

6. Learning through Engagement
No one can force someone else to learn and develop as a
leader—the leader must opt in. To develop and improve,
leaders must be fully engaged. We must foster their intrinsic
motivation—stimulating a need to know, change, and
improve within them.
Mind and brain research shows us that learning critically
involves both cognitive and emotional aspects. Dr. Mary
Helen Immordino-Yang, a cognitive neuroscientist at
USC’s Brain and Creativity Institute, explains, “One thing
that biology has been showing us now for many years is
that emotions, learning, and memory are intimately tied
together.” So, we need to engage hearts as well as minds
in our learning design.
Motivation, creating a need to improve within the leader,
is paramount for successful leadership development, and
a constant challenge given the number of competing
demands and distractions in the daily life of a busy leader.
Motivation can be defined as what pushes or pulls individuals
to start, sustain, and complete activities. There are
many theories about motivation dating back to the early
1900s that can help inform the design of effective learning
solutions. For example, Self-Determination Theory
highlights how experiences of autonomy, competency,
and relatedness can significantly enhance intrinsic motivation.
Games and gamification are growing in popularity
because these learning design approaches can be very
effective at tapping intrinsic motivation by enhancing
feelings of autonomy, belonging, and competence while
simultaneously enhancing extrinsic motivation toward
some reward.
SAMPLE PRACTICES
Learning through
Engagement
Promote emotional connections to content via
storytelling.
Enhance intrinsic motivation by giving people
choices in their learning.
Personalize learning experiences by tailoring to
needs, pace, interests, time, location, and learning
preferences.
DESIGN IN ACTION
THOUGHTFUL DESIGN DRIVES ENGAGEMENT AT VI
Vi, a luxury senior-living community established in 1987
as Classic Residence by Hyatt, is dedicated to helping
older adults live more active and fulfilling lives. Central
to this is an engaged and talented workforce. Vi’s yearlong
Management Development Program (MDP) for frontline
employees and emerging managers draws upon a variety of
learning opportunities, including classes, online learning
plans, webinars, projects, reading assignments, mentoring,
and job rotations. Action learning assignments and
“teach backs” reinforce learning.
Varied delivery methods offer options and choices for
employees to keep learning engaging. For example, live
learning sessions focused on specific competencies give
learners the chance to share and hear stories and realworld
examples that bring the concepts to life and make
them memorable.
Employees see the direct connection between their learning
and progression in the organization. In fact, 20-35
percent of Vi’s MDP participants move into a higher-level
position within one year of completion. Vi’s attrition rate is
substantially lower than its competitors, and its employee
satisfaction rates are much higher than average.
{ 8 } ACCELERATE LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT WITH OPTIMAL DESIGN