Imagine deciding to get a small dog. You want one that doesn’t shed much, is good with children, and is large. After considering these criteria, you choose one. However, you understand that the real work begins now. The dog needs to learn how to behave in your home, where to sleep, what to eat, and what not to. It needs to learn to come back when let off the leash in the woods, among many other things. You are aware of this responsibility.
Just like with getting a dog, we sometimes completely ignore this in a business context. We have extensive recruiting processes because we know that hiring mistakes are costly. Once we find someone who meets our expectations, we check it off as “job done.” However, we forget that the real work is just beginning. Just because we made the right choice doesn’t mean we shouldn’t continue to develop or even have to develop the person. Otherwise, the person may not be able to come close to where we expect them to be. Personnel development is at least as important as recruitment. Here are three ideas on how you can ensure that your employees continue to develop.
Tip #1: Delegate responsibility from the start
From day one, give new employees responsibility for small areas and gradually expand them. For example, if you hire someone in sales, the person can’t call your best customers on day one. But they can independently create a conversation guide according to your specifications. If you hire a marketing manager, they can’t control complete Facebook campaigns, but they can look at what already exists and analyze what they would change. Give people concrete responsibility for tasks from the start. The principle of “watching” may be supportive, but it shouldn’t be the highest priority. New employees will be focused on what is important to you in the first few days, and watching only helps to a limited extent.
Tip #2: Actively promote your employees
Are you willing to actively promote your employees without compromise? Are you ready to invest in them? Go through your employees and check if this is the case. If you answer “NO” for some, you may want to reconsider your attitude, e.g., What needs to change for me to be willing to promote the person? If this is not feasible, it is advisable to have a different leader for this employee in the long run. All employees have the right to be honestly promoted. Otherwise, they cannot develop.
Tip #3: Regularly challenge your employees
Make sure your employees don’t get bored. Some people like challenges, and some don’t. However, everyone should get them to their extent. Stepping out of one’s comfort zone and growing is a key factor in personal development. Leaders have a tremendous influence on this. Make sure to constantly demand more than the employee is willing to do. This way, people grow beyond themselves. It’s important that you only demand as much as you foster. That means: accompany challenging projects, be a reliable sparring partner and exchange partner. This way, employees have a real chance to develop.
With these three tips, you will achieve many great developmental steps. It is the basis. My recommendation for you if you want to approach the further development of your employees in a structured way:
Use the new persolog® Job Profile. It not only helps you fill positions with the right people but also to consider the requirements of a position from various perspectives and identify development goals for employees. This way, you don’t have to act on gut feeling and have a smart feedback tool for the further development of your employees at hand.
Author:
Debora Karsch, Managing Director and Master Trainer of persolog GmbH
