As you have probably noticed by now, your team and the people around you add a huge amount of value to the business. This is why personal development is so important, it ensures success for not only the individuals but also the business.
The learning never stops and you want to create an environment, an expectation even, that everyone on the team is here to learn, grow and develop. When you set this expectation, the team, or organisation as a whole, is filled with people who are committed to learn together. That's how humans learn best, and how we have successfully evolved as a species. we watch, talk, share, engage, experiment, review and reflect together.
Many businesses formalise their development around personal development plans that are aligned to business goals. This is a good place to start. You know what needs to be done and what skills and behaviours will get you there, so you create a plan to help you people succeed. You might record the development goals in some file or platform, then together, work on closing the skills gaps.
Another approach is to create a learning culture. Sometimes the learning will be formal, and you have budget allocated for training, courses and hiring trainers. Approximately 10% of our knowledge is gained this way. 70% is gained through real life experience, on the job learning. The other 20% is from coaching, mentoring or guidance. So before you sign everyone up to a formal qualification, ask yourself, is this the best way to develop our people?
The learning team has always existed. In the 1950's introduced its approach to work which was soon adopted in manufacturing plants worldwide. Kaisen (continuous improvement) and Hansei (relentless reflection) underpinned by the 5 Whys analysis centred the organisation around learning. The expectation was set - learning is a company wide process. People continually expanded their capacity to create results. When everyone is committed to grow and develop themselves and the work, results follow.
Through using personal development tools performance can be monitored, maintained and worked towards improving. There are multiple practices that can be used to ensure worthwhile and effective development.
Remember
It is important to note that there is no single approach to developing individuals.
Now you might focus on immediate or short term results, but this is the MyLegacy module. Here we focus on the longer term. One headteacher said they don't measure their legacy by the league tables. Instead they measure it by the teachers they took under their wing and now flourish in their careers. They watched as teachers moved on and instilled the same learning cultures into their new schools, and created a learning ripple effect. They measure it by hearing about the successful lives their students went on to live.
For me, I love to follow the progress of former clients and see them continue to learn, grow and expand. My legacy shines when I notice a former team member get a new job, which might have become possible because of the opportunities I gave them earlier in their career. I stay in touch, follow progress on Linkedin and smile with joy.