As the inventor of LUMEN, a talent development app that enhances employee development, growth, retention and engagement by providing real-time feedback, I obviously believe in its effectiveness. But I put myself to the test by consistently using the app for six months. I used it for personal growth goals (preparing to hike the Himalayas) as well as business development goals (growing my business). Here are my five key takeaways.
Self-awareness is growth in and of itself
In physics there’s a phenomenon called the Observer Effect. This was a big aha moment for me. The very act of measuring and getting feedback on a particular goal heightened my self-awareness which in turn impacted my behavior, before I even received a rating or rated myself.
There’s a domino effect
By stating my goal and discussing it with my raters, they became aware of my change process. What that means simplistically is I started to get credit for my effort that previously they may have not noticed. My raters started to observe my progress (or lack thereof) more consciously and became more disciplined in giving me constructive feedback in the moment. This meant not only was I changing but my raters were as well.
You still have to do the work
LUMEN is not the only solution to your development goals. It’s not a panacea. It is a tool and a resource to help you be a detective on your own “work.” That means you still have to do the work.
Experimentation is essential
LUMEN provides a place and a process to test things out. After a few weeks of ratings – from yourself and from your raters – pause and ask if it’s working. Can you notice a difference? If it’s not how you want to be, then you have the space to tinker. You aren’t committed to your key actions or goal for a full year. You can adjust your goal and actions steps, and it’s critical that you do.
Even teenagers respond, so it really must work
My teenage son and I used LUMEN together to address some of our disagreements. The results were immediate, impactful and lasting. By taking ourselves out of the “heat of the moment” and using the tool to process feedback, he and I became much more aware of our contributions, were able to get to the “root cause,” and together we made true progress.
To learn more about LUMEN visit our site (https://www.avantleadership.com/lumen/) and open the overview video on YouTube.