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Baseline then advice

Through the lens of children, we can learn so very much! So often, communications fall flat because a baseline is not established; in other words, if you are talking down to someone of knowledge, you will lose them right away and talk too far above their knowledge level. Both attempts at communication fail because of boredom, and it's impressive watching my children get bored within a few sentences when I haven't understood their baseline. 

The same is true with a group or a team of people. Human beings are very tribal, even in the work environment, so as a group, you must approach their baseline to nudge them in the direction you wish to move. An example is there may be a "leader" in the knowledge or skill that you are trying to work on amongst the group, and if you are not able to connect with that leader, the rest of the group will follow in the boredom. 

The book "Inner Game of Tennis" explains beautifully how we learn from our peers, watching, and doing. We may make slight improvements from our boss/coach telling us what to do, but in the end, we make the quantum leaps in improvement from watching our peers succeed and taking subconscious notes on their success, thereby implementing them into our practice. 

Once a baseline is established, the behavioral nudges come into play, creating trust in your coaching/bossing. A mutual understanding of what needs improvement is understood, and minor tweaks go a long way; trying to overhaul without a shared understanding of the need is called micromanaging. 

Clarifying goals and asperations go a long way in producing a baseline across a group. There will nearly always be a common ground to people's intentions. It is also crucial to highlight the differences in goals and values and bring them all full circle to the group's common ground. Highlighting how that tribe is different but with a common goal may nudge them to learn even more from each other, and there is no better way of learning. 

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