We All Need a Personal Trainer

March 6 • Written by Julie Dozier

We’re bringing you some fitspiration from the gym to show you the benefits of engaging a Tangram consultant — the personal trainer your vision muscles are begging for. 

I recently started working with a personal trainer, Lindsey. 

My training takes place at a small gym that Lindsey owns and runs. And she does group-format training where 5 people all get personal training during the same hour, so it’s more affordable and — bonus — it’s very social and fun because I like the other clients too!  

A few weeks in, I realized something: Lindsey is what we as Tangram consultants aspire to be for the clients we work with. For context, we design learning solutions, but we also do 1:1 consulting with learning leaders — and personal training is so much like this 1:1 support. Let's look at some of the parallels.

My trainer knows my potential

I can only really know my personal experience. I know how my body is now. I remember various times in my life when I had more muscle, more flexibility, better cardiovascular capability, and better overall health. But I am limited to my own experience. Lindsey has seen more humans go through this process. She can look at my current state and imagine how I could be different, even if I find it hard to imagine. She has a bigger vision for me. She also has confidence in me. 

At Tangram, when we start consulting with a new client, we learn all about their organization and their team. We discover their priorities and what’s important to their stakeholders. We look at their current learning approach and examples together. And right away, we start to form a vision for them. We see the clear places where they could focus this year for major gains. We see tweaks they could make to important programs for more impact. We know this because we’ve worked with many other clients at other organizations and seen the gains they have made with learning. We know your team’s potential, and we can help you get there.

My trainer helps me set goals

During my consultation, Lindsey took my measurements to get a baseline. Then she shared that each person at the gym is working toward a specific goal — reducing body fat by 5%, losing 20 pounds, gaining 10 pounds, improving mile time by 1 minute, etc. Having a specific goal helps her customize each client’s plan based on their unique needs. And we all have our goals posted centrally so we can see what the others are working on — I love this because it shows the possibilities and inspires me for future goals. 

When we work with clients, we start by understanding their current state and setting goals together. What is the current uptake for a specific important curriculum? What is the overall learner satisfaction rate across the catalog? What is their average time to design/develop new solutions? What is important for them to improve? What are senior leaders asking for? This discovery process helps us understand their organization better and how they view the role and potential impact of learning. We also use all this information to help them set better goals and show them new possibilities.

My trainer has a plan

My favorite part about personal training is that I don’t have to think too hard about it — I just show up and work hard. It’s comforting to know that Lindsey has worked with many other people and helped them change. She has a strategic order we’re going to do various exercises, and she has it all timed out and planned as far as weight and reps. She shows me exactly how to position my body and corrects me when I’m doing it wrong. She shares the rationale along the way, which is nice because I like to understand the why. It’s also a relief to be able to follow her lead and let her worry about how we’re going to get there. I can see results, and it makes me trust the process. 

At Tangram, we have developed a strategic framework called the Tangram Formula. It includes 6 areas where we help leaders and their teams focus for the most impact. Some areas are more natural for them; others are totally new or more difficult. But as we work together, we evaluate the current strengths and opportunities in each area and make recommendations. We choose priorities and we plug away at the different projects for them: e.g., developing a better measurement strategy, redesigning their team’s workflow, creating learning campaigns to promote important programs, developing a strategy deck that tells their story and shows their progress.

My trainer supports my progress

Sometimes I show up for my appointment and working out seems impossible. Lindsey can tell I’m having an off day. She looks me in the eyes and says, “Just focus on me. This is what we're going to do. ....” Her direction and perspective is just what I need. And I’m so glad I have our appointments in the calendar because I know she’s there and waiting for me. On days like that, I might skip the gym if it was just me alone, so our shared accountability and expectations are essential to my making progress. 

Sometimes a client shows up to a scheduled call and I can tell it’s been a hard day for them. We always talk about what’s going wrong — either we can listen and better understand their world or share advice, or we can adjust our plan if we need to support them with urgent priorities. There have been a few sessions I can remember where we’ve pushed back something planned and instead talked through a couple slides they need urgently for senior leadership. The secret is the consistent meetings and the shared accountability to make progress on these important things together.

Let’s get tactical

So how does it work? We work with each client to design the partner arrangement that works best for them, but for those learning leaders out there who are seeking a personal trainer, here are some common arrangements: 

The SCHEDULED approach

Weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly 1:1s

For these clients, we are a lever they pull to get more done. Our consultants are also at the leader level in terms of experience and abilities, so the quality work we can do is truly helpful and allows them to achieve more of their goals. 

How it works: When we meet we review status of key activities they are dealing with, discuss where they need help, show what we created since we met last, and decide on next steps. In this package we include some extra working hours to do projects offline. 

Who it’s for: This is helpful for leaders who want a thought partner on a regular basis. They also have way too much to do and need a pair of skilled, experienced hands (and a sharp mind) to get more done. 

Sample 1:1 agenda: Look at next week’s calendar. Outline some edits we will make to a strategy deck. Discuss how we can support an at-risk project by coaching a team member and reviewing their work.

The PROJECT approach

Structured projects

For these clients, we identify and scope strategic projects we will do to accomplish different goals: e.g., increase learning consumption, build the learning culture, improve overall quality, get stakeholder buy-in, and secure budget approval. 

How it works: We can plan the projects we will do and the number of months. And just like any project, we will establish milestones and times we meet to show our deliverables, gather feedback, and plan next steps. 

Who it’s for: This is especially helpful for those teams that are maxed out with their current workstreams or don’t have the internal expertise to tackle certain strategic projects. 

Sample project: Auditing and redesigning their learning platform homepage

Your turn

Schedule 30 minutes, and let's get to know each other. We have been growing our team with the best of the best, most experienced, most capable learning consultants so we can do more 1:1 consulting with leaders. And just like my trainer Lindsey, we see your potential, we have a plan for you, and we are consistent. We look forward to working together. 💪