A well-thought-out leadership development program provides opportunities and clear direction for your employees to improve their skills and advance their careers. And, with a broader skill set, they have more tools to assist your company in moving forward. It’s a win-win situation for you and your employees.
However, an employee development plan or programme should not be created on the spur of the moment. Follow these five steps to ensure that your employees’ professional development plans are on track. Keep reading this tutorial to learn more.
Effective Career Development Plans
Step 1: Consider your business objectives
Before you set objectives for your employee development plan, try to align their development needs with the business needs of your company. Consider your long-term and short-term business goals.
Do you require one of your salespeople to take on the role of district manager? Is it necessary for someone in accounting to learn how to use and implement new software?
You can identify the necessary skills, knowledge, and competencies to support your objectives once you’ve identified them.
For example, if your company is experiencing rapid growth, you may require additional leaders. What abilities do these leaders require? Do any of your current employees have the skills – or the capability and desire to learn the skills – required for these positions?
Developing internal candidates to bridge the gap between current employee skill sets and future skill sets would be extremely beneficial to the company. Investing in employee development now can save you time and money in the future when it comes to recruiting, onboarding, and training new employees. Furthermore, developing a career path and demonstrating advancement and promotion opportunities can help you retain top talent.
Step 2: Consult with your employees
Don’t assume you know what your employees’ skill levels and career goals are. Talk to each member of your team to learn more about their professional goals.
You should also ask your employees to evaluate their own work and discuss any difficulties they are experiencing in their current position. Where do they have the most difficulty? Would they benefit from more training, mentoring, or a challenging assignment?
Some of your employees may already have career development goals in mind, but are unsure how to get started or whether the company will support those plans. Other employees may be unaware that you see potential in them or that they require encouragement to advance in their careers.
By speaking with employees, you can collaborate to determine what role your company can play in their plans and what opportunities you can provide them.
Step 3: Differentiate between potential and readiness
After providing the leadership and management training evaluate your employees, keep in mind the distinction between potential and readiness. For example, Michael may have the potential to be a super star manager, but he is not yet ready to take on that responsibility. Readiness can take many forms, including desire, skills, and experience. Michael may be interested in the management position you see for him, but not yet. He may be caring for elderly parents or young children and does not want to travel. In addition, as much as the new position would necessitate. Alternatively, he may require two to three years of increasingly complex assignments. Moreover, this is order to master the project management skills required in the new role.
Final Thoughts
Leaders frequently make the mistake of assuming that someone who is great at sales or widget manufacturing (potential). It will also be great at managing the sales team or widget manufacturing (readiness). Doing versus managing require very different skill sets, and forcing an employee into a job. In addition, this is for which they don’t prepare for the disastrous consequences.
