How to avoid creating dead end jobs and an uninspired workforce.
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I was talking to an employee of a company which shall go nameless. We were talking about her developmental needs. She said she wanted to go to a one day seminar. I asked her if she was going and she rolled her eyes and said “They won’t pay for me to get better.” I was shocked and I said that is was job related, and she said it would have to be on her “own time and own dime.” Needless to say her level of motivation was very low. I am not saying that companies need to spend a fortune on training, but every company should invest in their employees’ development. It is and should be a Leadership Imperative.
As a manager a commitment to continuous learning for your team will help create an environment where employees will feel valued and motivated.
Setting the stage up front for growth
Set the stage up front for growth for both existing and new employees. One of the best leaders that I ever worked for had a saying; “growth is not optional.” This sent a very clear message of expectations for the entire team.
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Keep in mind that learning doesn’t necessarily have to be a “class.”
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When interviewing candidates for positions in the department the manager needs to first determine how they feel about learning by asking questions 1) What they have learned in the past? 2) What they are currently learning? 3) What would they like to learn in the future? 4) How they feel about learning in general? Careful attention should be given to the candidate’s responses to these questions. Are they enthusiastic about learning? Do they want to develop? Do they ask additional questions?
Secondly, the manager should explain the expectations around development. The list could be similar to the one below:
- Each year you and each member of the team are expected to grow.
- This is not an optional activity.
- The development has been budgeted and it is a priority.
- Each team member will have an individual development plan.
- The plan will be developed by the team member and their manager.
- There will be periodic developmental meetings.
- Every employee will have a review every six months.
During orientation the manager should make sure that a new employee is reminded about the expectation and the commitment to learning. Keep in mind that learning doesn’t necessarily have to be a “class.”
The Growth and Development Meeting
For all employees on the team the Growth/Development Meeting should be the cornerstone of commitment to their development. The meeting is a minimum of one hour every year in order to discuss the employee’s areas of strengths and areas for improvement. This is not to be confused with the annual review. The annual review is a meeting with a report stating how the employee performed; the Growth and Development Meeting is a dialog where four areas are discussed at length: 1) Strengths from the employees and the manager’s view 2) Areas to improve from the employees and the manager’s view 3) Career goals short, mid and long term 4) How they can get there using the tool called the Growth and Development Plan created by the employee and manager. There are several advantages to holding such a discussion:
- It is very motivating because the employee gets to talk about their favorite subject themselves!
- If the manager handles it well, it can result in very meaningful dialogue.
- It encourages the employee to step back and think about their career.
- It builds a track for the manager and the employee to run on for the year.
The manager and the employee will each need to prepare for the meeting. The manager should ask the employee to do a self- assessment which will help the employee and the manager structure the discussion and help both parties focus on the employee’s future contributions to the company.
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The distinct advantage of doing a Growth and Development Meeting and an Individual Growth and Development Plan with each team member is that they are then taken out of the dead end job mindset because they can grow and have a possibility for advancement.
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The growth and development meeting is the most important meeting of the year relating to employee development. The manager should give the meeting their full and undivided attention. That means the meeting should be private, uninterrupted and the manager should not be multitasking out of respect for the employee. If the work environment makes that impossible, then the manager should set the meeting up off site. If the meeting is a commitment to the employee’s development, then the logistics should indicate the importance of the commitment. The manager should set the stage for the meeting by properly positioning it for the employee and helping them to understand the purpose of the meeting.
Here is an example “Well Jim, I am glad we could meet today and this is the most important meeting we will have because it is about your development. The purpose of today’s meeting is to talk about your strengths, areas for improvement, and then your short, mid and long term goals. Then we will discuss what we can do to help get you there .I want to make sure that we have plenty of open and honest dialogue, so please feel free to tell me your thoughts.”
The manager will then go through all the elements of the meeting:
- Discuss their strengths.
- Discuss areas for improvement
- Review career goals
- Create an individual Growth and Development Plan
We often hear people that we meet talk about ‘dead end jobs”. The distinct advantage of doing a Growth and Development Meeting and an Individual Growth and Development Plan with each team member is that they are then taken out of the dead end job mindset because they can grow and have a possibility for advancement. The fact that the manager took the time and energy to meet with them is motivating, and the meeting gives them an idea that there is a future to work toward.
This is your imperative- please do it now.
Originally published in B2B Magazine.
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Photo: Getty Images