November is National Career Development Month, so rather than focus on your own career, I thought it would be a good time to think about how you can support your team in the progression of theirs…
There are two elements to this:
- The practical element of testing and training
- The nurturing element of support and example.
Michael E Gerber, author of the E-Myth and the E-Myth Revisited (paraphrased) says, to develop a team you must help the members achieve their own personal objectives while they help the company achieve its corporate objectives. With this theory in mind you can clearly see how the relationship between supporting your team and them supporting your business is a mutually inclusive relationship…
Practical ways to provide career development for your team
Create a formal professional development plan
As part of the SWOT review each employee can contribute their ideas on how they can improve their skills or expand their knowledge. This gives them something to work towards and gives you an opportunity to nurture them.
Align the training with the business objectives
As an employer your own annual business review will highlight your progression towards achieving goals. Can you empower an employee to support you and encourage them to take greater ownership of a goal?
Identify skills gaps
If there’s a need within the business that can be fulfilled by an employee, it makes sense to train them with the skills to fill the gap. This works for the business and gives the employee an opportunity to progress or improve their performance.
Invest in new resources
A bad workman always blames the tools, but sometimes it really is the case that the tools are insufficient and need upgrading. If you want to develop someone’s career, you need to provide them with the right tools.
Provide incentives
Recognition of people’s efforts is often a much-appreciated incentive. Don’t overlook the power of employee of the month, a gift card or even formal recognition and thanks during a meeting. You could also explore ‘reward solutions’ platforms.
Give access to career counselling or external coaching
If the willing is present but the confidence is lacking you could offer a mentorship programme or coaching sessions, buy them a book or give counsel yourself from your own experience.
Find leadership opportunities for them
And there’s no greater incentive or reward for effort and success than to give your employee the role they’ve been working toward. You don’t have to promote them, but they could give a company presentation or take the lead at networking, or a campaign for example.
How to nurture your team in career development
Be a good example
By demonstrating a strong work ethic, as a leader others will follow. Leading by example can be from supporting one another, being motivated, sharing values and giving trust. Then, your business culture develops into a nurturing place where creativity can flow, and people’s ideas are heard.
Be a mentor
As hinted at earlier, by supporting and offering your own experience and lessons learned, you can save a person time in having to make their own mistakes. But remember, one of the most important things about being a mentor is allowing people to arrive at their own conclusions and accepting that they may well fail. (And then you can help them find the lesson and encourage them to get back on the horse).
Actively listen
Arrive at a meeting or 1-2-1 prepared to listen to answers, not just waiting for the moment you can speak again. Register and recognise non-verbal signals and use all your awareness to formulate appropriate feedback, be it calming, encouraging, direction, or correction. People thrive on honest feedback.
Empower their choices
You chose the people around you in your business for a reason, so allowing them to speak openly about their ideas and choices regarding a campaign, a software package or process should really be a given. This builds confidence and that leads to growth.
Celebrate achievements
Going back to the rewards procedure, if you don’t pay for a service, a gift card or pint after work, you can still celebrate and give thanks for a job well done so your employee feels worthwhile. Bear in mind though some personalities appreciate a ‘well done’ or ‘thank you’ when others might it patronising.
Be respectful
I believe that a respectful business culture is where growth and development thrives. And you’re the example here. The way you approach work, and how you treat people has a huge influence on the team’s feelings about expressing themselves and working hard for you.
Your qualities influence others
Good leaders show the qualities of integrity, flexibility and adaptability. You are thought of as effective communicators and cheerleaders for their teams and collaborators. You possess confidence, resilience and compassion.
And you can bring all these great qualities out in others, by offering a clear practical route to career development with a nurturing attitude. Because after all, leaders that you’ve developed don’t necessarily go out on their own and leave you, instead they become a positive influence on those around them and naturally create an atmosphere of motivation and confidence.
What is it Richard Branson says? ‘Train people well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough so they don’t want to.’
Ready to make career development part of your business culture?
This National Career Development Month, invest in your team’s development and have a no-obligation call with me. Let’s explore how you can implement some of these ideas in your business.