See One, Do One, Teach One

As a young surgical trainee, I was told the same dictum over and over again: See one, do one, teach one. In a procedurally-oriented profession where skills needed to be procured over time, the model in medicine followed these three steps.  

First, observe others who are competent doing the procedure. See one. 

Then perform the procedure yourself. At first, parts of it were under supervision. Then the entirety of it with supervision. Ultimately the entirety of the procedure without supervision. Do one. 

Finally, perpetuate the cycle by teaching the procedure to others. Teach one. 

While the 1:1:1 ratio may not be precise—you probably want to see something more than once prior to doing it—the sequence is the important part here. When it comes to skills, there are many ways to see one and do one, and these are obvious steps in the learning process. For the sake of this article, I'd like to delve into the often-forgotten step in mastery—the concept of teaching one.

Both my parents are educators. My father is a professor, and my mother is a teacher. I grew up in a household that put an enormous premium on learning, research, academia, and yes, teaching. This was further reinforced by the fact that many of my parents’ friends were their colleagues in the world of teaching and academia, so at a young age I had a large set of role models and people I respected who valued teaching enough to make it their profession.

Teaching has enormous benefits for both the instructor and the student. You really don't know how well you understand a concept until you start explaining it to someone else. If you can't make it comprehensible to others, chances are there are elements of what you’re explaining that you have not fully reconciled. Sometimes I even go through the exercise of trying to explain things to myself, either in writing or verbally, just to self-instruct and reaffirm my thinking.

Students also challenge us in ways that are different and complementary to the ways we’re challenged by peers and colleagues. Students are not afraid to ask foundational questions that clarify assumptions and start from the beginning. They force us to be clear in our thinking. And since many people absorb knowledge differently, they often ask us to reframe the same concept in various ways. Seeing the spark in a student’s eyes when a concept clicks is both gratifying and a great reminder of what we love about our own work.

Although teaching is a discrete profession, and a most worthy and time honored one, it’s not the exclusive domain of professional educators. Nearly every occasion in life affords us the opportunity to be both a student and a teacher. This is the spirit of the “see one, do one, teach one” maxim. As soon as you’ve seen and done something, it’s within your capacity—and I would go so far as to say, your responsibility—to teach it.

It's important to understand that teachers are never infallible, and sometimes they’re not even experts. I love to learn physics, often listening to lectures and reading textbooks. Much of the content, of course, is from professors and professional physicists. That said, from time to time, I read works by other enthusiasts. They’re competent enough to understand the material and share their understanding, but by no means are they authorities in the field. Yet these individuals sometimes make the best teachers. They have a keen understanding of what it feels like to be an amateur in the field, meaning they rarely make broad assumptions or skip over steps.

I’m fortunate to have a few academic appointments. One of the key responsibilities and privileges of these appointments is to teach. It can be a harrowing and humbling experience to step in front of a room full of doctoral students and convey a sense of authority and expertise. What I’ve learned in this process is that we each have our own unique knowledge base and set of experiences that are valuable—or, to some learners, invaluable.

As my career in business has progressed, I’ve discovered that one of the core responsibilities of being a leader is being a teacher. I believe it’s very difficult to execute the job well if you don't enjoy conveying ideas, concepts, and lessons to others. As a leader, people see you as an example and will often join your organization for the benefit of learning from you. This is particularly true for people who are just starting their professional careers.

A quick tip for new business owners: If you want to attract great young talent to your organization, be a teacher.

The ultimate legacy we can leave in this world transcends our physical presence. It goes beyond what we can do with our hands and minds. It lives beyond what we can do within the confines of space and time. Instead, it must spread to others. This is what teaching is all about. Each of us must be a link in a compounding chain of growth, knowledge, and innovation. Be a mindful parent. Be a coach. Be a mentor. Be a steward for your profession, ecosystem, trade, or hobby. If you see someone struggling to do something that you have some competency in, lend them a hand. Once you make teaching a regular part of your repertoire, it will become second nature.

And then you’ll live the simple yet powerful dictum of see one, do one, teach one.