Your People Want Professional Development!
Hey manager, lean in. I have a secret for you. If you employ humans who are actually worth the money you are paying them ‌ not to mention worthy of your trust in their current position ‌ then those humans want you to help them get better.
They may want professional development because they want more money, or they want to be better at their current job. They may want to move into a different job, or they might want to slide into management in their current department. But, whatever their motivation, if they are worth keeping, they want to be better. Help them get there, and you will earn their appreciation.
Don’t believe me? Studies have repeatedly shown that at least half of all workers have considered or would consider leaving their current job for another that offered better career development opportunities. Some of those folks would even be willing to take less money just to have more opportunity. Let that sink in for a moment. You better start thinking about career development as part of your benefits package, because that’s how your workers see it. And, if you don’t offer it, you can be certain they notice the lack. Here are a few ways you can immediately address this need within your company. Do your employee’s current tasks offer challenging assignments or actionable on-the-job training? Are they learning by doing? If not, 2 out of 3 are unhappy in their work. Sure, you will find the 20 to 30 percent of your workforce who would rather have an easy and mundane job. But could you really get by if 7 or 8 out of 10 of your people just up and quit? Here’s something else you can start implementing immediately: coaching and constructive feedback. Before your employees start a new task, explain your expectations, offer specific encouragement and help them understand both the process and the goals. Then turn them loose. When they screw up or miss the mark – and they will. Don’t just rage or ignore it. Offer specific, substantive and constructive feedback. Give them actionable information so they won’t make the same mistake twice. Finally, once you have all that going for you, begin investing in formal training and employee development. You will not only have better workers, you will have happier, more motivated teammates. Roman Temkin is a real estate developer who currently works in NYC.