Options and Applications

In this section you will learn some of the different ways in which facilitators of Experience Explorer have used the tool and different options for some of the steps.

Sort Option 1: Sorting the Categories of Experiences

Each Experience card is marked with a dot in the lower-right corner. The color of the dot corresponds to one of the five main categories of developmental experiences that the fifteen core leadership experiences fall into: challenging assignments, developmental relationships, coursework & training, hardships, and personal life experiences (see Table 5).

These categories represent five broad sources of leader development—each with different learning dynamics. For example, learning from a challenging assignment involves engaging in action to solve problems and accomplish tasks, and then generating knowledge and insights from seeing the consequences of those actions. Learning from developmental relationships involves observing, seeking advice and support, engaging in dialogue, and receiving feedback. Learning from hardships often happens primarily after the experience when the individual reflects on and seeks to make sense of the hardship.

The dots marking the Experience cards can be used in a variety of ways:

•  You can examine differences in experiences that a person has had and not had. Ask participants to notice the categories of experiences they have had or not had. Are the experiences related to each category (for example, challenging assignments, developmental relationships) equally distributed across the “have had” and “not had” stacks, or is there a category or two where almost all the experiences are in the “not had” stack? What might this say about the kinds of experience one naturally seeks out?

Table 5. Categories of experiences

•  You can examine how learning varies in different kinds of experiences. Ask participants to divide their “have had” cards by the colored dots. How was learning different when experiencing a challenging assignment compared to a developmental relationship, a course, a hardship, or a personal life experience? What does it take to learn effectively from each of these sources?

•  You can illustrate 70-20-10. Three of the categories match with the 70-20-10 guideline for leadership development. This guideline suggests that a combination of 70% challenging assignments, 20% developmental relationships, and 10% coursework is optimal for preparing managers for leadership roles. Participants can examine the distribution of the experiences that they have had to see how closely it reflects this guideline.

•  You can emphasize the central role of challenging assignments. Because a major portion of leadership development happens as a result of challenging assignments, facilitators may want to focus specifically on this category of experiences. For example, the challenging assignments cards could be pulled out and serve as the basis for the entire exercise. Or in the strategize step, an emphasis could be placed on seeking “orange dot” experiences.

Sort Option 2: Sorting the Worlds of Lessons

Each Lesson card is marked with a symbol in the lower-right corner. This symbol indicates which of the three dimensions of lessons each card falls into: World of Work, World of People, and World of Self (see Table 6).

Table 6. Dimensions of lessons

These categories represent three worlds of lessons or capabilities that leaders must develop. Leaders need to develop capabilities to get work done (World of Work). Even as they get work done, leaders need to manage and develop interpersonal relationships all around them, such as with superiors, supervisors, peers, direct reports, and external stakeholders (World of People). And, as they get the work done in relationship with others, leaders need to attend to their own development from a career and a personal perspective (World of Self).

The world categories can be used in a variety of ways:

•  You can examine current capabilities. Ask participants to notice which worlds their current capabilities fall in. Are all their capabilities in just one world (for example, the World of Work)? What impact might this have on their ability to advance in their careers and meet demands of future roles?

•  You can examine current areas for development. Ask participants to notice which world capabilities they aspire to develop or have been told to develop. What might support or hinder their ability to develop capability in these worlds?

•  You can emphasize the need to develop all three worlds of capabilities. Ask participants to sort the Lesson cards into three stacks that represent the three worlds of capabilities. Next, for the first world stack (for example, World of Work), ask participants to separate the cards into two stacks: “strengths” and “needs development.” Repeat the process with the other world stacks. Participants can then come up with a table like the one in Table 7 below and use it to approach their development plans strategically.

Table 7. Sorting lessons by strengths and developmental needs

Application 1: Life Coaching

Reviewing and reflecting on recent experiences is important to gaining clarity about the direction a person wants to take in his or her life. Experience Explorer gives both people in a life-coaching session (usually a one-on-one coaching or mentoring session) an opportunity to immediately share ideas, thoughts, and feelings within a structure that encourages open conversation.

Facilitation. Follow the instructions for conducting a basic session. Ask the person being coached to sort the Experience cards and then share his or her memories and reactions to the cards.

Application benefits. Using Experience Explorer in this low-risk way can help leaders and managers—or, for that matter, anyone in a formal or informal coaching relationship—make quick progress on some of their development needs. The tool does not require deep analysis. Instead, the coach and the coachee can simply observe the facts of experience. Awareness leads to actions, self-confidence, and perspective—accelerating development as the coachee steps away from murky memories and vague life goals.

Additional resources. The following resources can be helpful in this application:

King, S. N., Altman, D. G., & Lee, R.J. (2011). Discovering the leader in you: How to realize your leadership potential (new and rev. ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

King, S. N., & Altman, D. G. (2011). Discovering the leader in you workbook. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Wei, R., & Yip, J. (2008). Leadership wisdom: Discovering the lessons of experience. Greensboro, NC: Center for Creative Leadership.

Application 2: Career Planning

Career advancement does not always follow a straight or an obvious path. Use Experience Explorer with an early- or mid-career manager who is ready for a career transition and needs help thinking about the next move.

Facilitation. The manager looking for his or her next career move should take ownership of the session. Hand the manager the Experience Explorer cards. Ask the manager to select some of his or her most important experiences and to identify the lessons learned from each of those experiences.

During the session, patterns will emerge as to the kinds of experiences and lessons the manager has had and what was learned from them. It will also become clear to the manager what kinds of experiences he or she has not had. For example, a manager might lack start-up experience or might never have handled a crisis.

At this point, it only takes a few questions from the facilitator to help the manager clearly see what is needed from his or her next assignment. When presented a range of options, the manager will have criteria for evaluating the benefits of job assignments.

Application benefits. Experience Explorer puts a person’s development squarely in his or her own hands. By assuming an equal share of the conversation, managers see for themselves the potential gaps in their development. Experience Explorer goes a long way in helping managers be rigorous and intentional about planning career progression.

Additional resources. The following resources can be helpful in this application:

Chappelow, C. T., & Leslie, J. B. (2001). Keeping your career on track: Twenty success strategies. Greensboro, NC: Center for Creative Leadership.

McCauley, C. D. (2006). Developmental assignments: Creating learning experiences without changing jobs. Greensboro, NC: Center for Creative Leadership.

McCauley, C. D., DeRue, S. D., Yost, P. R., & Taylor, S. (2014). Experience-driven leader development: Models, tools, best practices, and advice for on-the-job development. San Francisco, CA: Wiley.

McCauley, C. D., & Martineau, J. W. (1998). Reaching your development goals. Greensboro, NC: Center for Creative Leadership.

Van Velsor, E. (2013). Broadening your organizational perspective. Greensboro, NC: Center for Creative Leadership.

Wilson, M. S. (2010). Developing tomorrow’s leaders today: Insights from corporate India. Singapore: Wiley.

Application 3: Resilience and Learning Agility

Experience Explorer has been an effective tool for assisting mid-career executives and others learn to be more resilient and open to learning in the face of new or difficult experiences.

Facilitation. Facilitation is a two-part event. First, use Experience Explorer to introduce participants to one another. After asking them to select a memorable experience, ask participants to select the most significant lesson that shaped them as leaders. Using the basic instructions for sharing, members of the group quickly become familiar with one another.

In the second phase, link the ideas of learning agility to the topic of resilience. This is done by setting the stage with a personal story that illustrates how resilience and learning agility in the face of difficult assignments are two sides of the same coin. Then use the experience cards in the usual way, guiding participants to select experiences that have demonstrated their ability to be resilient. The connection between resilience and personal growth and development becomes clear very quickly. Participants come away with an appreciation for how resilience helps them not just to bounce back from challenges and survive but to engage challenges and thrive.

Whenever possible, invite top and senior leaders to attend the second phase of the session and share their own most important lessons and memorable experiences.

Application benefits. When learning becomes more intentional, as it does during an Experience Explorer session, participants grasp how they can combine their preferred learning style with their capacity of resilience. The idea that difficult challenges are opportunities and not obstacles can become even clearer to the group if the organization’s senior leaders describe how they navigated their experiences and learned from them.

Additional resources. The following resources can be helpful in this application:

Bunker, K. A. (2008). Responses to change: Helping people manage transition. Greensboro, NC: Center for Creative Leadership.

Dalton, M. (1998). Becoming a more versatile learner. Greensboro, NC: Center for Creative Leadership.

Pulley, M. L., & Wakefield, M. (2001). Building resiliency: How to thrive in times of change. Greensboro, NC: Center for Creative Leadership.

Ruderman, M. N., & Ohlott, P. J. (2001). Learning from life: Turning life’s lessons into leadership experience. Greensboro, NC: Center for Creative Leadership.

Wei, R. R., & Yip, J. (2008). Leadership wisdom: Discovering the lessons of experience. Greensboro, NC: Center for Creative Leadership.

Wilson, M. S. (2010). Developing tomorrow’s leaders today: Insights from corporate India. Singapore: Wiley.