Professional Development — Be Forward Thinking For Your Staff
When you think about your management style and discuss it with your staff they will inevitably ask you about professional development. I have to admit, in my early days as a leader I was threatened by these conversations. Do they want to take my job from me? Shouldn’t I be the one getting professional development opportunities since I’m a manager? Can I just put off professional development until my staff do something to earn it?
Honestly, I was confused. I didn’t have a position on professional development and I was unprepared to have these conversations with my staff. What’s worse, I didn’t know what they wanted to hear and I didn’t have the courage to ask them or anyone else around me. I toed the company line and allowed staff to participate in training opportunities as they arose but there was no strategic or consistent approach to approving or disapproving their participation.
I needed a strategy.
Over the years I’ve put together a strategic approach to professional development, or training, that I’ve seen improve my team as well as the overall results of our efforts.
Individual Development Plans
After a few years I got tired of ad hoc requests for training. Staff would come to our one-on-one meetings with seemingly random requests. “Oh, by the way, is it alright if I take three days next week to participate in this training?” The presentation was so nonchalant, it was easy to say yes and go on with my day. I finally realized that professional development isn’t an appetizer you just decide to order on a whim, it needs to be a component in a larger, long-term strategy for each employee.
Enter the individual development plan (IDP). I ask my staff to consider where they are in their careers now and where they see themselves in the short-term, and the long-term. I don’t define these time periods as I’ve noted that it varies greatly from one person to the next based on their age, professional goals, life situation, family situation, etc. It’s amazing, but this tiny exercise usually causes some anxiety, and some introspection that many had not really thought about strategically. These are great conversations to have with your staff during your annual evaluation meetings.
Once staff have considered their career path I ask them to develop their IDP based around three buckets of professional development opportunities. These are described below.
1 — Something to do Their Current Job
I review their job description with them during their annual evaluation and ask them if they have all of the tools necessary to complete their job functions. I ask my staff this, often knowing full well whether they have been fulfilling their job duties, but I’ve found that it is valuable to have the employee consider this themselves. Any training they feel would help them achieve their current job should take first priority. The staff member then outlines what training of professional development opportunities would provide them with the tools they need.
2 — Something New
After identifying what tools they need to do their current job, I ask staff if there is any new skill they want to develop. Perhaps there is some aspect of the company or organization that they want to understand better, or a particular person that they would like to shadow, or an assignment they would like to try to lead. The responses I have seen with this question have been extremely varied.
By asking this question you are permitting the employee to essentially “have a bit of fun.” Some look at this as a step in their career ladder, but others look at it as an opportunity to get well-rounded. Even if it isn’t to learn a tool they need, or may never need, it helps them to understand how things work — and there is value in that!
These professional development opportunities are second tier, and should not be undertaken if the employee is not fully performing their current duties satisfactorily.
3 — Something to Get Their Next Job
What?! Am I serious? Why would you provide job skills to someone so that they can move on to their next job? You tell me. How long have you been at your current job? Long gone are the days of people staying with an organization for their entire career. Almost everyone moves around — frequently. Would you rather that your staff move on to something new because they are bored, or because you have given them the opportunity to grow and they utilized it?
This is where long-term career thinking takes place. I encourage an employee to really consider their ideal position for the future. I specifically and intentionally note that this may or MAY NOT be within the current organization. I tell my staff that I want them to be happy, feel challenged, and try to find the perfect niche for them to make their professional contributions. Some of these positions ARE within your company. But if they are not, I tell my staff that this is okay and that we should work together to get them there.
Again, the employee should identify options in their IDP for gaining this professional development experience. This could include training, courses, job shadowing, short-term assignments with other offices or sections, independent reading, mentorship, etc. I’ve even had a staff member tell me, “I want your job.” She didn’t specifically want my job, but my equivalent position within the organization. She requested that we have a regular mentorship meeting where we would discuss her contributions and how she could improve.
What this does for staff is underscore that they matter to you. That you are so concerned about them and their development that you would give them the tools to leave your organization — as painful as this may be for you. I’ve seen these conversations result in increased productivity, contributions, volunteering, and collaboration, as well as a greater overall positive feeling within the workplace.
Review the Plans
I like to touch on the IDPs during mid-year and annual evaluations and make adjustments as necessary. Sometimes everything is accomplished, and sometimes the opposite, all depending on the availability of time and opportunity. Keep the IDP in the conversation — even your own — as it shows your commitment to lifelong learning and improvement.
