In business transformation work, whether it’s culture, employee experience, or customer experience, the most powerful shifts don’t happen because of a single program or a top-down mandate. They happen when people observe, practice, and pass on new ways of thinking and acting. (It’s that grassroots groundswell that I often refer to.)
That’s where the timeless learning model “See One. Do One. Teach One.” comes in.
What Is “See One. Do One. Teach One.”?
Originally from the field of medicine (I learned about it watching The Resident on Netflix and thought, “Hmm. How does that apply in my world?”), this method, which originated in the late 19th century, is used to teach hands-on skills.
- See One: Observe someone performing a task.
- Do One: Try it yourself with support to get hands-on experience.
- Teach One: Help someone else learn it, which reinforces your understanding and mastery.
It’s simple. It’s scalable. And most importantly, it works. Why? Because it turns learning into action and action into culture. (That’s how we do things around here!)
How It Drives Culture Transformation
In a strong culture, values aren’t just words on a wall; no, they’re behaviors people see, practice, and share. (Culture = core values + behaviors, right?!)
Here’s how this model reinforces that.
- See one: Employees or leaders observe values-driven behaviors modeled by peers or mentors. This could be how a manager handles feedback, communicates transparently, or embraces collaboration.
- Do one: They start practicing those values/behaviors themselves, integrating them into how they lead, make decisions, and interact with their teams.
- Teach one: Once confident, they begin mentoring others, creating a ripple effect. They become culture carriers, i.e., coaching others, giving feedback, reinforcing shared values, storytelling, and modeling the expected mindset and behaviors.
The Result: Culture shifts from being a top-down directive to a lived, shared practice that spreads organically through peer influence and example. (Ah, there’s that grassroots groundswell.)
Culture spreads by example, not by chance.
You get the culture you design or the one you allow. Design accordingly.
From Employee Experience to Empowerment
The same applies to employee experience. A single meaningful moment, like feeling seen during onboarding or supported during a tough time, can inspire someone to create those moments for others.
- See one: Employees observe great people practices, like how their onboarding made them feel valued or how their manager recognizes effort.
- Do one: They adopt similar behaviors and begin delivering similar experiences in their roles, whether it’s welcoming new colleagues, giving recognition, or taking initiative in improving processes.
- Teach one: Those employees create systems or rituals that scale that experience across the company. They may coach others, join EX councils, or advocate for changes, thereby amplifying the experience for others.
The Result: Ensuring a great employee experience becomes embedded in the way people work and support each other, i.e., less policy, more practice.
When employees don’t just have a great experience but also help create it, they move from participants to amplifiers of the culture.
Leveraging this training method to empower employees enhances employee satisfaction and engagement.
Customer Experience: Watch It. Live It. Lead It.
Customer-centric cultures are built the same way.
- See one: Teams observe what a great customer experience looks like, perhaps through journey mapping, customer interviews, or shadowing a colleague delivering exceptional service.
- Do one: They begin applying those insights, i.e., refining how they interact with customers, anticipate needs, or resolve problems.
- Teach one: Experienced team members train others, share insights, lead CX improvements, advocate for customers across teams, or bring CX thinking into cross-functional work.
The Result: CX maturity increases as the culture of customer-centricity spreads beyond a single team or department.
Customer experience excellence spreads when people not only learn what customers need but take ownership for delivering it.
Hands-on learning and collaboration are critical to building a culture that puts the customer at the heart of the business.
Why This Model Works Well For Your Transformation
“See One. Do One. Teach One.” is more than a learning method. It’s a transformation engine. It’s impactful because:
- People learn best by doing.
- It forces a deeper understanding of the material, behavior, or change.
- It empowers employees to take action. Everyone can be a learner and a teacher.
- It gives a sense of pride and ownership in the transformation work.
- It also empowers employees to be change agents and creates a peer-to-peer ripple effect.
- It embeds values and experiences into daily work.
- It helps scale the transformation organically, sustainably, and authentically.
- It democratizes transformation. Anyone can model the change.
This model builds a self-reinforcing system where learning, collaboration, and empowerment become a part of “how we do things around here.” If you want to build a culture that lasts, start by showing, doing, and sharing. That’s how change becomes who you are.
Applying the Model to Culture Transformation
On that note, how do we do that? How do we apply this in practice? How do we put it into action and make it “how we do things around here?” Start by offering up some prompts.
See One
- Identify a behavior aligned with your core values that you’ve observed recently.
- Who is modeling this well? What made it stand out?
Do One
- What’s one way you can apply this behavior in your role today?
- Where in your workflow or routine can this show up?
Teach One
- Who can you mentor, coach, or influence through your example?
- What platform (team meeting, peer check-in, Slack post) can you use to pass it on?
Here’s an example of how powerful and organic this model can be.
After seeing her manager consistently open meetings by celebrating team wins, a frontline employee starts doing the same in her team huddles. A few weeks later, one of her teammates began doing it too. What started as one example turned into a ripple effect of recognition across three departments.
Leaders accelerate the impact of this model by inviting others to observe them in action, celebrating when employees take initiative, and creating space for people to teach each other (via peer mentoring, storytelling, etc.). When leaders intentionally model “See One. Do One. Teach One,” they create a safe, empowered environment where transformation takes root.
It’s important that we ensure this becomes a habit, not a one-off thing. Remember: it’s a cycle, not a checklist. You might be in the “Teach One” phase for one behavior and still in “See One” for another. That’s the beauty of it: everyone is always learning, practicing, and sharing. This keeps employees agile, inclusive, and evolving in order to achieve the desired culture.
In Closing
Culture doesn’t change through memos; it changes through moments. When people see the behavior, do it themselves, and teach it to others, transformation stops being a top-down initiative and becomes a living, breathing part of how the organization works and evolves.
This isn’t just a learning model; it’s a leadership model, a culture model, and a movement model. If you want lasting change, don’t just tell people what to do. Show them. Empower them. Then watch them lead the way.
Learning is not attained by chance; it must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence. ~ Abigail Adams