Performance in Social Leadership

As i work this week to flesh out the NET Model of Social Leadership, my thoughts turn increasingly to ‘Performance’. Specifically i’m thinking about how we rehearse and embed behaviours, it’s about the transition from abstract formal learning into changed behaviours and evidenced skills in the workplace. Specifically i’m looking at three stages: rehearsal, performance and review.

Skills are developed through rehearsal, performance and review. We have to build all three into our learning journey

In learning design, we have to provide the space to rehearse, be that in workshops, in permissive and safe simulation environments or in social learning groups. Rehearsal is about pressing against the walls, testing our boundaries, working out what is fixed and what’s movable, as changed behaviours require new boundaries.

Performance is about our ability to carry the newly acquired skills through to our everyday reality, about our ability to demonstrate our learning, and it’s supported through performance tools and a framework of coaching and mentoring.

Review is the write up: the eagerly awaited but somewhat dreaded first night review. This is about taking time for reflection, but also about garnering and responding to feedback, both positive and negative. Review may circle us back to the rehearsal stage for subsequent performances.

The NET Model gives a framework for the skills of a social leader, but to really embed those skills, it needs to be enacted within a performance framework, incorporating that time for rehearsal, performance and review.