Uncovering and Empowering Hidden Teachers in Your Organization

The lasting competitive advantage of any business is its workforce’s ability to learn, adapt, and innovate—ensuring the organization can meet the ever‑evolving demands of the marketplace.

Training Magazine’s 2009 Industry Report found that the average organization invested roughly $484,000 in formal training that year. While classroom instruction and online courses are vital for skill development, most learning actually occurs outside the traditional classroom. Experts such as Jay Cross argue that informal, unstructured learning can drive that figure even higher.

With so much knowledge being exchanged daily among leaders, managers, employees, and clients, it’s time to examine who is quietly acting as a teacher—and how you can amplify their impact.

In this article we explore two archetypes of hidden teachers: leaders who teach, and subject‑matter experts (SMEs) who teach.

Leaders as Teachers

Though often the most visible, a company’s leaders can be the most powerful teachers. Ronald Heifetz and Donald Laurie’s article “Leader as Teacher: Creating the Learning Organization” stresses that “businesses today face challenges that require many people to learn new habits, attitudes and values. We should be looking for leaders who can move us to face the problems for which there are no simple, painless solutions—those that require us to learn new ways.”

This model extends beyond executives. Team leaders, project managers, committee chairs, and even meeting facilitators can embody the teacher role by aligning purpose, modeling behaviors, demonstrating values, and framing the context needed for growth.

SMEs as Teachers

SMEs possess deep domain knowledge and are often called upon to share expertise, yet they rarely receive formal training in teaching. Typical hidden‑teacher SMEs include:

• Work‑planning specialists
• Software “power users”
• Business or process consultants
• Customer software‑integration specialists
• Customer support experts
• Legal or contracts managers
• Financial or tax auditors
• Top‑selling product salespeople
• Six Sigma Black Belts

Because teaching isn’t their primary role, SMEs may lack the skills to assess learners’ experience levels, facilitate active sessions, or link content to real‑world application. This gap can turn a knowledge asset into a missed opportunity.

Consider Pam, a customer‑integration specialist who customizes software for clients. If Pam can design engaging, activity‑rich sessions that address client resistance and promote behavioral change, her company’s adoption rates soar and clients become brand advocates. Without proper facilitation training, even Pam’s deep expertise may fail to translate into lasting learning.

When clients are expected to train their colleagues, they, too, need coaching on how to teach effectively.

Enhancing Hidden Teachers

Once you identify your organization’s hidden teachers, support their transition into skilled facilitators with the following strategies:

1. Structured Self‑Study
   Books such as Active Training (Mel Silberman, 3rd ed.), Telling Ain’t Training (Harold Stolovitch), and Presenting with Pizzazz (Sharon Bowman) provide foundational techniques. Learners should document progress in a development plan and answer:
   1. What action will I take after reading this?
   2. What results will this action yield?
   3. How will these results benefit the organization?
   4. When will I implement this action?
2. Individual Coaching
   Pair the aspiring teacher with a mentor or a trainer coach. Organizations like Life Cycle Institute build individualized development plans and offer ongoing support.
3. Train‑the‑Trainer Workshops
   Institutes such as Life Cycle Institute, SkillPath, and the Bob Pike Group provide hands‑on training. Look for courses that emphasize practice, followed by coaching.
4. Success‑Story Network
   Identify high‑performing employees and capture the behaviors that drive their success. Create a community where best practices and real‑world case studies circulate.

Every organization contains hidden teachers capable of driving learning and change. By recognizing and empowering them, you unlock a powerful catalyst for performance and growth.

Feel free to apply these four steps to your own development or share them with teammates who could benefit.

References

Heifetz, R. A., & Laurie, D. L. (2003). Leader as Teacher: Creating the Learning Organization. Ivey Business Journal, 1‑10.

About the Author

Tara Denton is a learning consultant at Life Cycle Institute, designing and delivering both formal and informal learning experiences since 2001. She builds learning solutions aligned with business goals and applies facilitation techniques that ensure knowledge retention. Reach her at tdenton@LCE.com.