It can feel overwhelming at times, trying to develop everyone. Each person has their own career paths, immediate needs and aspirations. It is easy to begin sheep dipping - giving everyone the same development. That might work if you are teaching everyone from the same starting point, let's say a new system or process. However, this approach doesn't work when everyone is at a different staring point. You wouldn't put stabilisers on a proficient cyclist would you?

Before we work with a client, we take time to do the MyPresent stage - the diagnostics. We need to know where people are now, where they want to be (the vision) and then create an approach that meets everyones needs.  Too often, when learning and development is not well planned, it is poorly executed, wastes money and time and leaves people either overwhelmed or annoyed.

We identify those members of the group who are high performers and of course those who aren't performing. Then we establish whether they are closed to learning, or open to it. By plotting people on an axis, we can create a journey that meets everyones needs.

Use the reflective questions below and identify where your people sit. As an organisation, encourage all managers to do the same exercise.

High performers.

These people demonstrate a high level of quality in their work. You trust them. They are consistent in the output, and add value to the team. They see obstacles and seeks ways to overcome them. They are willing to invest time in improving themselves, the team or the work and ask for feedback. 

Are you clear about what high performance looks like?

Do you have a benchmark or an ideal team player avatar?

What qualities do they have?

What knowledge, attitudes, skills and behaviours do they demonstrate?

Low performers

Can sometimes take feedback, but fails to act on it. Sometimes retreats and doesn't engage with the team or collaborate. If they are open to learning, they want to improve asks for coaching.

Do you have people who are inconsistent or unreliable?

How do they behave or show up?

What skills are they lacking that could be developed?

Do they have the skills, but not the attitude?

Do they have the knowledge but not the motivation?

Open or closed to learning

Some low performers are really open to learning. When they receive feedback, they want to find ways to improve. Other high performers can be closed to learning equally, satisfied with where they are right now. 

Are your people asking for feedback?

Do they come with solutions, ideas and curiosity or with problems that they want you to fix?

Who demonstrates resilience, a willingness to make mistakes, learn and keep going? Who blames, deflects or plays victim?

Who is curious, wanting to know more, asks questions, expands and wants to deepen their understanding?

Who accepts the status quo and wants to stay in the good ol days?

Who shares knowledge, develops others and collaborates as opposed to keeping quiet, with holding and autonomous?

Who shows humility, knowing they don't have all of the answers instead of letting their ego block their development - the know-it-all?

Now you know where your people sit, you can create development journeys together. You have a goal or expectation of what good looks like. They need to hear it so they have clarity over the destination, and the why. Development takes time and energy, so you need to make sure your team is motivated and engaged and want that destination as much as you do.

What's next?

Plotting your people is just the starting point. 

Now is the time to make plans. Establish the most urgent and critical development areas of the team and identify how to overcome them. Perhaps the high performer who is open to learning can become a mentor to the underperformer who is also open to learning. The low performers who are closed might shift if you have the honest and kind conversation about how you want the team to work together, perhaps as the team evolves they will become inspired. If they refuse to perform or learn, then you must make decisions about whether they are a good fit for the team. 

Right now, you are doing all of the thinking. Now you need to engage the individuals, then the team in the process.