Never have I met a leader who wishes their people would stay stuck doing what they have always done. Perhaps a few supervisors and managers might say that, but never a leader. Leaders want their teams to be engaged in improving what they do and how they do it. They want their people to be motivated to develop higher levels of capability and performance so they are equipped for future changes.
Leaders prioritise people and team development, so in turn the business develops and performs. And yet, their intentions are not met with action or momentum. They get stuck in the traditional approach to personal development which is focused more on formalities and paperwork. Everything must be monitored, measured and recorded for measurements against return on investment. I get it. I understand why HR has driven this, as a way to justify budgets and allocation, and yet it takes the joy and ease from the development process. How do you measure someones emotional intelligence development, or how much curiosity or trust has been developed? How can you quantify someones feedback skills?
Instead, many learning orientated organisations are rethinking their approach and promoting learning cultures and celebrating personal development. They shift to always learning cultures, with managers as coaches, knowledge sharing, opportunities and empowerment. They are shifting to blended learning and development and this platform is just one example. Team member and talent can learn at their own pace, following a journey that is unique to them.
For this reason, businesses are slowly increasing their investment into personal development. They make time to learn together, in meetings, in discussions, in one to ones. Everything becomes a development opportunity and they shift from tell and instruct mode to coaching, curiosity and discovery mode. The leaders who lead this way have a love of learning and developing themselves, and they, in turn, role model it to their teams.
The benefits
Perks, pay or the promise of future gains - the carrot, have been shown to not always work in guaranteeing good performance. It is an expectation that employers pay well and treat their people fairly. What is a factor is making sure the resources and skill development to perform are available/accessible at all times. When people have the right skills, tools and environment to work well, results follow.
People have an inherent desire to learn and develop. Feedback is becoming more highly desired so people know how they are doing and what they can do to improve. Feedback is central to a learning culture, with added reflection time to really understand the learning. When leaders create feedback cultures with continual loops, consistent and in the moment feedback, performance increases.. It can also help you as a leader remind yourself of where your team members need more help and can make sure they are staying on track with their goals.
Talent attraction and blended learning. The newer generations in the workplace are focused on the digital age. They want information instantly and on their terms. They look for hacks to make life easier, using technology to remove the repetitive and mundane tasks. By modernising your approach, the younger generations are more likely to stay engaged and concentrated on their goals.
Empowerment. When you develop others to think for themselves, take accountability for their own development and trust them, you will not only see their capability grow, but it frees up your time. You stop answering questions, solving problems and making decisions. Instead, you develop people to do that for themselves and you act as a guide.
Reflection
Think about your own approach to developing your team or organisation.
Do you find yourself spending too much time dealing with problems because people aren't performing?
Do you avoid delegation because you don't believe others will do the work in the right way?
How many individuals have the capacity to learn and take ownership?
How are you keeping yourself and others stuck or developing and nurturing?
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