Successfully Developing Your People

Over the past 18 years, I’ve had the privilege to partner with some amazing organizations that realize that prioritizing the personal and professional development of their people is the core, or heart, of their culture of trust and success.

People are absolutely amazing in what they give back to the organizations that invest in them and take care of them. From the outside, it appears magical and easy. However, it’s neither. Their leaders are purposeful and intentional in creating a vision and a culture that tends to the development of their peoples.

So, what does it take to create the vision and the culture?

This is part 2 of the 4-part series on Employee Development by Diana Gabriel, Certified Strengths Strategy Coach.

A staff that works interdependently is making use of everyone’s gifts and talents. Click To Tweet

Are you effectively developing your people? Consider this: effective development touches every aspect of your people’s experience, including self-awareness, and skills such as technical, managerial and interactive. Your staff who contribute the most to your organization are given the resources and space to be reflective, the ability to know what they’re doing, apply what they know, enjoy what they do, and grow personally.

Technical training is essential, of course, allowing each person to carry out the tasks they’re assigned within the system provided to them. Studies show that less than 15% of workers feel they have the skills they need to use workplace technology to effectively do their jobs. This includes computer and Internet usage.

Some positions call for high levels of skill in several areas beyond the commonly accepted norms. For example, engineers may have great theoretical and innovative skills, but need to be more proficient at technical writing or public speaking to document or present their ideas and to build and sustain relationships. Too often I’ve seen managers and supervisors who have good process and productivity knowledge but lack the communication and relational skills needed to address the interpersonal issues that crop up every day.

Fortunately, excellent sources of specific training in these areas are available and you’ll benefit by allowing your people to participate in any training they need. Organizations that fail to prioritize budgeting for ample interpersonal and technical training also fail to account for the cost of a skill shortage, where processes fail and problems expand without sufficient solutions and competencies.

Many leaders need better managerial skills, where communication and collaboration are essential in inspiring leadership. A staff that works interdependently sharing information and ideas, setting and achieving goals, and drawing the input of others to make great plans is making use of everyone’s gifts and talents.

Business insider Steve Olenski sums up the development goals very nicely in the Forbes article, 8 Key Tactics For Developing Employees. He states that organizations develop employees (your people) for two reasons—to enhance employee interest and engagement in their roles (which raises productivity), and to grow new managers who in turn engage others.

Engaging your people when they take on more responsibility, motivating them to continue improving and inspiring similar motives in those around them. Your best staff development design builds on the individual’s strengths—their gifts and talents. This sparks interest in what they’re doing, they’re more effective contributors, and they raise the bar for the entire culture. Everyone benefits when all employees are encouraged to develop and apply their strengths, allowing them to become the best versions of themselves.

What do you think? How do you encourage and provide effective employee development? I’d love to hear from you. You can reach me here and on LinkedIn.