Watch One, Do One, Teach One
The Fastest Way To Build Capability On Your Team
Years ago, my brother-in-law was in dental school, learning how to do tooth things. I asked him once, “How do they teach you something like a root canal?” His answer stuck with me.
He said, “We used a method called ‘Watch one, do one, teach one.’ First, you observe a more experienced student or professor perform the procedure. Then you do it yourself (with someone watching and offering guidance). Then, almost immediately, you're asked to walk someone else through it.”
No endless lectures. No waiting until you're perfect. Just learn it, apply it, then reinforce it by teaching.
It’s brilliant. And it works.
Why This Matters in Business
We live in a world where companies complain about being too busy, but they’re still training slowly and inefficiently (or sometimes, not at all). People sit through inefficient onboarding, shadowing without context, or worse, reading manuals that have no real-life application. I've actually heard leaders say that it takes a year to know if a sales person is good.
Meanwhile, A-players are starving for growth. They want to contribute fast. They want to make an impact. And they don’t want to sit on the bench for months.
That’s where this simple framework comes in.
The Watch-Do-Teach Model in Action
Let’s say you’re onboarding a new team leader.
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Watch One: They sit in on a meeting you run - not as a passive observer, but actively taking notes on what worked and why. You break it down for them afterward.
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Do One: Next time, they lead the meeting while you watch and give feedback.
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Teach One: After that, they mentor the next new hire on how to run that same meeting.
Three reps. Three layers of learning. And one new leader who now owns the skill.
Why It Works
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Speed: It compresses the learning curve from months into days.
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Retention: When you teach something, you internalize it far deeper than when you just do it.
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Scalability: It turns your high performers into multipliers, not bottlenecks.
A Word of Caution
This method works best in a culture of accountability. If you're surrounded by people who resist stepping up, or leaders who micromanage instead of coaching, “watch-do-teach” will feel forced. But in a healthy team, it becomes second nature.
Final Thought
Whether you're running a dental clinic or a sales team, the principle is the same. Learn it fast. Apply it quickly. Pass it on immediately.
Watch one. Do one. Teach one.
It’s one of the simplest ways to build capability, confidence, and culture...all at the same time.
Ryan Giles
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