CEOs view employees not as a cost, but as valuable assets with the potential to drive future success. Effective people development expands skills, reveals hidden talents, and builds loyalty. It requires consistent coaching, proactive career pathing, and an environment of continuous learning. Here's what it looks like from different angles:
- The Coach/Mentor: Providing ongoing feedback, both positive and constructive, tailored to individual growth needs.
- The Talent Scout: Recognizing employees' hidden capabilities and guiding them toward stretch assignments aligned with their potential.
- The Facilitator: Offering access to workshops, training programs, and resources to support skill-building and professional growth.
- The Culture Maker: Creating an environment where learning is celebrated, new ideas are valued, and there's a clear "path to growth" within the company.
The 5 Signs People Development is Neglected
- Stagnant Roles: Little opportunity for learning, employees kept in rigid tasks without room to explore new avenues.
- Missing Feedback: No regular one-on-ones, leaving employees in the dark about their performance and areas to improve.
- Reactive Training: Development only when there's a crisis, rather than as a consistent practice that expands the collective skill base.
- Blind Spots: Managers unaware of the capabilities, interests, and career aspirations of their own team members.
- Promotion Bottlenecks: Growth paths aren't defined, resulting in high performers with stalled careers seeking opportunities elsewhere.
The Marks of Excellent People Development
- Individualized Focus: Creating development plans based on each employee's strengths, challenges, and ambitions.
- Growth Opportunities: Offering cross-functional involvement, project leadership roles, and exposure to new technologies to broaden skills.
- Transparent Pathing: Clearly articulating the competencies and growth required to advance within the organization.
- Constructive Feedback Loops: Normalizing two-way, open feedback through regular performance conversations.
- Internal Mobility: Actively looking within for skilled candidates to fill new roles, demonstrating commitment to fostering advancement.
Best Practices to Foster Strong People Development
- Goal-Focused Conversations: During one-on-ones, discuss not just current work, but long-term aspirations and the skills needed to realize them.
- Immediate Action: Add these questions to your next check-in: "Where do you see yourself growing in the next year?" and "What is one thing I could do to better support your development?"
- Immediate Action: Add these questions to your next check-in: "Where do you see yourself growing in the next year?" and "What is one thing I could do to better support your development?"
- Stretch Assignments: Offer projects slightly beyond current capability, paired with appropriate mentorship and coaching.
- Immediate Action: Identify one task you normally would handle, and delegate it to an employee showing growth potential. Provide adequate guidance.
- Immediate Action: Identify one task you normally would handle, and delegate it to an employee showing growth potential. Provide adequate guidance.
- Invest in Training: Designate a training budget or leverage online courses to address skills gaps and promote professional development.
- Immediate Action: Start with a free resource – find one relevant industry podcast and encourage your team to listen while commuting or on breaks.
- Immediate Action: Start with a free resource – find one relevant industry podcast and encourage your team to listen while commuting or on breaks.
- Celebrate Learning: Acknowledge those who seek training, share new findings, and consistently improve their work as a result.
- Immediate Action: Start a dedicated Slack channel or email thread for team members to share useful skills, lessons, and resources they've found impactful.
- Immediate Action: Start a dedicated Slack channel or email thread for team members to share useful skills, lessons, and resources they've found impactful.
- Internal Job Openings: Prioritize promoting from within. Post new roles internally first, providing an inside track for your rising stars.
- Immediate Action: Discuss with the HR team a strategy for actively communicating upcoming openings internally before looking externally.