Encourage Them to Grow

This post is the sixth in a series that shares a summary of a podcast from a company called Essential Communications, along with my notes that dig into each point a little deeper.  If you like what my post has to say, you may want to check out their website and see what else they have to offer you.

http://essentialcomm.com/podcast/your-teams-best-interests-part-one

Catching you up:  When employees believe their manager has their best interest at heart, they are more satisfied and more productive than those who don’t believe that.  Treat your people well, and you will be rewarded!

How to show your employees you have their best interests in mind:

6.  Provide professional development 

Do you want to stay the same day after day, doing the exact same things over and over again?  Do you see yourself in the exact same place in the exact same office doing the exact same tasks ten years in the future?  No!

And it should be no surprise that the same holds true for your team.  

• They want to grow.  

• They want new tasks and responsibilities.  

• They want leadership roles that will highlight their talents.  

• They want promotions—and pay raises!

And they know they have skills to learn before that can happen.  (Yes, they DO know it!  Even your know-it-all team members thrive when they are given an invitation to develop themselves into better employees.  If nothing else, it shows them you are invested in their future.  And employees who feel you care about them and want what’s best for them are likely to stick around longer.  That’s good!). Your people also know that circumstances and the business environment are changing all the time.  There are new technologies, new techniques, new research about what works and what doesn’t – there’s always more that can be learned!

There are also ways your people can expand within their current roles, there are skills they can enhance or hone, and there are whole other realms of the business for them to explore.  All these things your people can do to improve themselves fall under the umbrella of professional development.

So, why should you care?  Two main reasons – 1) As your people know more, they will perform better, and they will make you look good.  2) Supporting their development shows your people that you care about them.  When they feel supported and cared about, they will feel more engaged, and they will work harder.  Again, they will make you look good.  (They are also more likely to stick around longer, as mentioned earlier.  Happy employees aren’t so fast to go looking for another job.)  I think you’ll agree professional development for your people is a good thing—for them and for you.

Then, how do you make it happen?  Well, there are a lot of ways, and I’m sure you know about many of them already.  Your team members can attend conferences for your industry or on a specific topic.  You can host retreats or inservice training sessions.  Your company might have its own learning management system or online training platform with a variety of seminars, videos, or other resources.  Peers can be encouraged to teach each other what they know (and excel at) or to share what they glean at trainings or conferences they attend.  You can loan out some of your favorite “business” books or share articles you come across; then, lead discussions on them (or suggest your team form a book club with some of your favorite resources as the starting point).  Or arrange for them to spend time in another department (or get cross-trained in other skills) so they can get to know more of the business.

The biggest thing you can do is support your people – provide a budget for their professional development and encourage them to use it.  Follow up with them after they attend a class or read a book; show you are interested in how they are bettering themselves—and role model for them how you are keeping up-to-date and are learning new skills.  Talk to them; find out where they want to grow – and then help them locate opportunities that will get them there.  Give each team member feedback and guidance in where they can best spend their development time.  What exactly should they be working on?  (This doesn’t have to be seen as a weakness or a soft spot.  It could just be presented as enhancing their already great skills or taking them up to the next level.)

Let your team know you want them to be the best, and help them get there.

What are you doing for your people already?  What else do they want?

I read a lot of articles and attend many webinars and conferences on how to create organizational cultures that motivate employees.  I love sharing the nuggets I take from those with you.

This month’s posts share a summary of a podcast from a company called Essential Communications, along with my notes that dig into each point a little deeper.  If you like what my post has to say, you may want to check out their website and see what else they have to offer you.

http://essentialcomm.com/podcast/your-teams-best-interests-part-one

1.    Be sure your employees understand their job. 

2.    Deliver lots of feedback—both praise and developmental.

3.    Create opportunities for new responsibilities.

4.    Allow employees to have high visibility.

5.    Position people for promotion.

6.    Provide professional development. 

7.    Offer career development. 

8.    Be the resource they need.  Share the view from your vantage point. 

9.    Be fair. 

10. Tell your team how to succeed with you.