In every training event or class, I usually hear this phrase in response to coaching or technique correction (especially with airway classes). Sometimes it is even qualified with the number of years they have been performing a skill incorrectly, which as we know does little to bolster their defense.
“This is how I have always done it…”
“I’ve been doing it this way for 20 years…”
Yes, the student is being defensive. But you must resist the temptation of asserting your authority as the all-knowing and ever-correct instructor. In fact, you may get farther if you try to get inside their heads and discern why they are taking the defensive posture in the first place. From there you can choose the best coaching approach to correcting the issue. Is there some ego involved? Probably. Could it be that they simply don’t know any better? Maybe. The important part is to make sure it is not your ego or ignorance that is clouding the issue.
Here are 4 ways I translate “this is how I’ve always done it” and some mindset shifts/antidotes for you as the instructor.
Translation 1: ” I haven’t done enough or been exposed to enough context to see that what I am doing is a problem.”
This student may very well come from a low acuity, low frequency system. Their exposure to your content and other content like it is limited and they may simply be lost as they try to connect what they have been doing with what you are teaching them. In this situation they are falling back to their most recent experience or training event as a frame of reference. They may be out of practice and their methods may be dated, due to a lack of experience with the updated material (I blame their organization’s training officers but that is another discussion for another day).
There is a caveat here. Perhaps it is not the student’s problem. The prudent instructor must stop and evaluate if the content is appropriate for that audience. You have to be aware of when you are teaching above their heads. This is true in continuing education and in initial education courses. This not a call to “dumb down” the training, but instead to see that the student(s) are missing the key points because the information is being presented in a manner that the student cannot comprehend it. The masters of the business can see that and pivot their delivery to meet the student where they are instead of watching them drown.
The fix: This is a great opportunity to make a positive impact on these students. If you miss on this, you may lose the student and close their minds to anything else you may have to say or offer. Closing the student’s mind to training should be a criminal offense, according to MSG Paul Howe (ret). The ego cannot rule in this situation. You have to take your time with them. Start by very clearly explaining and unpacking the “why” behind the content and give them plenty of time and reps to practice with it. Remember to meet the student at their level and then bring them up to the level they are capable of. Expect to stay late. Train to standard, not to time. They will appreciate the extra effort you take with them.
Translation 2: ” I have no idea what I am talking about and I’m just being defensive.”
This is the ego as a defense to ignorance. You may have pointed out a miss or a slip in their performance and they feel silly or “dumb” and flex their ego in an attempt to protect their self image. This is not a typical “ego problem” per se, but rather they are attempting to distract from the fact that they got something wrong by offering “the way I’ve always done it” as an excuse for why.
The fix: Let them run the drill or scenario their way, then you run it your way. This student has to be shown where the holes in their game are, and you’ll have to tip-toe around their ego to get them to accept the content/methods. You will likely have a prolonged debrief with these folks where they will be defensive. You need to be well read and have some depth to help them get to the right answers. More importantly, you need the patience to explain yourself, potentially several times, and allow them the space to wrap their heads around the new information. All while avoiding triggering an egotistical response from them. They have an ingrained mental model and people do not usually change their minds just because you said so or have made a compelling statement on a PowerPoint slide. Present the info and let them come to it.
Translation 3: “I am a product of my organization and their training standards.”
 Much like the low frequency/ low acuity folks, these students only know the content the organization has given them. They may have a false sense of security because their organization may lack the organic expertise to be able to coach and train them effectively and bring them to a higher level of performance and understanding. There is a really good chance that the organization is not investing in their development at all.
The fix: You cannot let these folks leave your training on an L. You have to make time to give them reps and feedback until neither of you can stand it anymore and they get the W. You may be the closest thing to a “real” high fidelity training/simulation and you have to make sure they get good quality reps with good quality feedback.
Translation 4: ” I have never been exposed to expert level feedback and I am feeling dumb and embarrassed right now.”
This is totally understandable and reasonable response. It doesn’t get them off the hook for their performance, but you as the instructor should approach them with this in mind. Maybe they are sheepishly dodging feedback because they are embarrassed that they messed up in front of you. Maybe they have never been to a high caliber training event like yours and they are intimidated by it. Everybody feels a little bit embarrassed when they goof up in a training event. Remember how you felt when it happened to you.
Some students attempt to humanize the error and laugh about it, which is a healthy response. Others will fall back to the phrase “this is how I’ve always done it” as a defense in an attempt to wave you off from hitting them hard with a critique, which is not a healthy training mindset.
The fix: These students already feel terrible or sheepish about their performance. Don’t add to it by being harsh or demeaning. Humanize the event, acknowledge the errors, and ask them to provide you with feedback about their headspace (what were you thinking about) and decision making (talk to me about XYZ decision). The instructor should be attempting to understand what their frame of reference was and then you build them back up from there.
You see, the whole point is to design training that induces failures… without the trainee/student walking away feeling like a failure. It needs to be hard and have problems that may not be solved correctly on the first attempt. The debrief will highlight and uncover the poor mental models, math errors, etc. That is why you are training. That is why you developed a tough training program: to discover the mistakes and train them out.
Don’t shy away from the feedback or potentially hurting someone’s feelings, that’s not my point here. Be honest and blunt when there is a mistake. Just remember that how you approach that can leave them better off and enhance their understanding/performance, or feeling sheepish and embarrassed.
Close Out
As an instructor/educator, it is easy to fall in to the trap of being THE authority figure and being “right” for no other reason than you are the instructor. The natural response to “you’re wrong” or “you did this wrong” is to grasp at the first thing that comes to mind to defend yourself. More often than not in our industry it is the number of years that the student has been doing the job. Which is understandable since seniority is highly influential in some departments. Rather than argue and get defensive yourself, get inside their head and explore the deeper meaning behind the student’s defensiveness and meet them where they are. You will likely find a teaching opportunity and can diffuse/deescalate a difficult conversation.
