"Those who can, do. Those who canât, teach.â
That dismissive broadside against teaching has been drilled into our collective psyche for too long. And guess what? Itâs dead wrong.
Sure, itâs almost always described as a noble profession, and we can all remember several teachers who had a big impact on us as kids. But for most people, the very word âteachingâ is akin to taking a vow of poverty, or at least getting lost in an obscure and bureaucratic wasteland sandwiched somewhere between labor unions and standardized testing.
But if youâre looking to grow your business and motivate people in the workplace, then you might want to tap your inner teacher. I donât necessarily mean quitting your job and becoming a teacherâalthough my 80-year-old aunt still loves being a substitute in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Instead, think about identifying a teaching opportunity that can catapult you and your organization to new heights and help out deserving young people while youâre at it.
Borrow a page from the legendary college basketball coach John Wooden who described himself, despite all the success, as first and foremost a teacherâwhich he also saw as the key to creating a winning organization.
Iâm not simply preaching this do-good stuff. This winter semester, I went back to school.
My decision came with a not insignificant amount of trepidation. Not just because Iâm already stretched too thin as both a small business owner and a parent of three kids. But I still had fresh, and not altogether positive, memories of teaching a few years back at another university. The students in that class were terrific for the most part, and several of them Iâve since hired as interns. (Yes, teaching offers a great recruiting pool.) Itâs just that I found that the political, petty, unenlightened, and meddling ways of the academic department were a big turnoff.
So after sleeping on itâand listening to a trusted colleague who reminded me that I truly enjoyed itâI said yes to returning to the classroom, this time as an adjunct professor of public relations at Fordham University. Teaching is really learning, and in addition to the uplifting energy in working with nimble, curious, and non-jaded minds, it forces me to keep current.
I feel totally engaged for three hours on Tuesday afternoons, and even have a restored sense of pride in the professional path Iâve chosen.
If thereâs no way that you can make that kind of commitment, and havenât yet done enough time in your field to become a professor, here are four ways for you to tap the teacher in you and benefit your business at the same time.
1. Grab a coffee and dispense some advice. Mentoring is often more talked about than practiced, and often feels more like orders from above rather than an organic relationship. Why not show your appreciation for an intern or entry-level staff member over an informal chat? You can reveal a couple of lessons from your career, provide suggestions about working with a certain client, or just the importance of having a life outside of work.
2. Whip younger colleagues into shape. Companies often have little time or money to educate young staff, opting almost exclusively for a sink-or-swim approach. But whatâs to stop you from taking 30 minutes once a week over brown bag lunches to huddle up with younger staffers and give them quick training sessions? Focus on stuff they never learned in school, from tips on time tracking software to whatâs appropriate to say to customers.
3. Share your expertise online. Why not post a how-to video on YouTube, launch a new group on LinkedIn, or pen an article for a trade publication? All these can be relatively easy ways for you to teach others and bask in the glow of seeing your message resonate.
4. Volunteer for a cause. A former employee, who grew up without an involved father, volunteered twice a month for Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City. After a weekend outing with his little brother, he came back to work Monday physically tired yet mentally rejuvenated.
Do it for others, but most importantly, teach for yourself. Youâll see how it benefits your company, your rĂŠsumĂŠ, your head, and your heart.
As for me, the semester is just a few weeks old. Iâm not sure how it will turn out or what my students think, since I havenât even given out the midterm. But as far as Iâm concerned, the grades are already in. Teaching is the highlight of my week.
___________________
This article first appeared on Marco's weekly WeWork Creator Magazine column. Creator Magazine is a new kind of publication that features stories of entrepreneurs and first-hand resources to make your business more successful.
Marco Greenberg (@MarcoGreenberg) is the president of Thunder11, a marketing communications boutique based in Manhattan. Heâs successfully launched startup ventures for an array of notable entrepreneurs, angel investors, VC firms and Fortune 500 companies.













