Tips for Providing Growth Opportunities and Support

In my previous post, I introduced the first "G" of the 4G manager framework - helping your people ✨ Glow ✨. While this requires skill-building and intention, helping your team Glow is both gratifying and feels good. Many managers are inherently driven to excel in this area. 🚀 However, the second "G" - guiding people to 'Grow' through constructive feedback, productive stretch, and career conversations - can feel disconcerting and uncomfortable to most managers. And yet, avoiding it has real costs to employee development 🌟 Here are some tips to make this G - Grow - feel more approachable and effective: 1️⃣ Constructive Feedback: Focus on pinpointing specific, observable behaviors and their impact on the business or the team. Steer clear of speculating about motives and instead, concentrate on the tangible. Real-time, concrete feedback builds trust far better than waiting for bi-annual reviews to discuss developmental opportunities. 💡 📣 Pro tip: Remember, you're responsible for delivering feedback constructively and objectively, not for how someone chooses to respond. Keep your focus on their growth 🌱, not on expressing yourself. 2️⃣ Productive Stretch: Empower your team to step outside their comfort zones into the realm of "productive discomfort." 🔥 This is where they flex new muscles, learn fresh skills, and ascend the steep slope of their learning journey. 🌈 📣 Pro tip: While it may be challenging to watch someone grapple with challenges before mastering a skill, allow them the space to figure it out independently before stepping in. The steep climb is a vital part of the growth process and isn't meant to be a cozy journey. ⛰️ 3️⃣ Regular Career Conversations: Engage in open, supportive dialogues about your team members' aspirations, focusing on values and desired skills. By doing this, you empower them to embark on new S-curves. 🛤️ 📣 Pro tip: For newcomers to your team, career conversations can center on thriving in their current role, without an immediate focus on their next move. Remember, not all career discussions are about the next step. 🌟 Do you have additional insights on helping your people 'Grow' as we head into review season? Do share!🌱✨ #Management #Leadership #EmployeeDevelopment #CareerGrowth #ProfessionalGrowth

**** Tuesday Talent Tip **** Attention CEOs! The #1 Thing Your Leaders Want From Their Employer is Career Advancement Support. It's not just about attracting talent; it's about nurturing and retaining them by investing in their growth and development. Here's how you can pave the way for inclusive teams and cultures: 1. Provide Career Path Guides - These should outline the leadership capabilities expected in each role, setting your leaders up for success to excel and win in their positions. 2. Implement Career Mobility Programs - These should foster internal career growth opportunities for ambitious leaders, offering a clear path to future promotions within the organization. 3. Offer Executive Coaching - This should provide your leaders with an external sounding board where they can openly discuss their fears, frustrations, and desires as leaders in today's workplace. Ensure they feel safe to share without fear of retaliation or judgment from their peers. By prioritizing career advancement within your organization, you not only empower your leaders to reach their full potential but also cultivate an inclusive environment where every individual feels valued and supported in their professional journey. Let's make career advancement a top priority and pave the way for truly inclusive teams and cultures in 2024! #InclusiveLeadership #CareerAdvancement #CEOChallenges #executivecoaching #leadershipdevelopment #careeradvice #workplacewellness ____________________________ Hi, I'm Jessica, an Executive Leadership & Career Coach, Fractional CHRO, Inclusion Expert, Speaker, and Facilitator. I help executives land executive promotions and companies build inclusive leadership teams with high-caliber, overlooked talent to increase engagement, productivity, revenue, & retention in their workplace. DM me if YOU want help growing stellar leaders to reach business goals, manage rapid change, and avoid employee burnout.

One of the greatest privileges a leader has is the ability to elevate those around them. Whether you are the leader of an entire function or just a few people, I believe there is no greater proof point to a leader’s impact than when their teams achieve their greatest potential. For many organizations, Thermo Fisher Scientific included, Q1 is highlighted by annual goal setting. But a priority for us throughout 2024 is to ensure career conversations are bigger than simply checking a box once a year. When I think about actively supporting the careers of my team and our HR function, a few strategies come to mind: - Check in often. Use regular 1:1s to assess progress and pivot where needed so the colleague feels they are continuing to progress toward their aspirations. - Use your tools. Many companies offer robust talent planning resources; use what is available to coach your team along the way. - Invest in your own development. Coaching others is a learned skill so do not assume you are always doing it right. - Champion the wins. Use your voice to shine a light on the success of others, fueling them to maintain the momentum. - Be the matchmaker. Keep an eye open for new projects or stretch opportunities based on the colleague’s aspirations. With ever-competing priorities, we all have room to grow when it comes to actively supporting careers. But when do this well, it is a win for everyone– for our companies, our teams and ourselves. #careerdevelopment #lifeatthermofisher

Recognizing and elevating your team members' skills is crucial for fostering their growth and maximizing their potential. I didn't always have the budget to send team members to various conferences, workshops, etc., but I have years of experience, including successes and challenges. I utilize my experience as a source of learning opportunities for my team members. Here are some suggestions: ✨ Start with identifying the skills your team members are passionate about and support their professional development. Provide resources, training opportunities, or mentorship to help them enhance their abilities. ✨ Assign tasks that align with your team members' strengths and give them opportunities to showcase their skills. Granting autonomy and responsibility can boost their confidence and help them further refine their capabilities. ✨ Create a clear career path within the organization and discuss growth opportunities with your team members. Provide challenging assignments, promotions, or additional responsibilities that align with their skills and aspirations. ✨ Be sure to recognize and celebrate your team members' accomplishments publicly. This can include praising their skills during team meetings, acknowledging their contributions in company-wide communications, or organizing team-building activities to appreciate their efforts. ✨ Encourage a culture of continuous learning and knowledge sharing within the team. Promote collaboration, offer platforms for idea exchange, and encourage team members to share their skills and expertise. #professionaldevelopment #keeplearningkeepgrowing #peersupport

Career development discussions with direct reports on your Marketing Team shouldn't happen just once a year. Many companies have annual evaluation processes that incorporate both a look back at each employee's accomplishments in the preceding fiscal year and a look ahead to career goals in the coming year. But I would argue that a once-a-year look at your employees' career challenges and aspirations isn't often enough. When I worked at Northwestern Mutual, Patrick Stone had a best practice of setting a monthly meeting with each of his direct reports that focused around career development. I saw the wisdom of that and have since adopted it with my team members as well. Those team members I've had since I adopted this practice have universally appreciated having the conversation with me each month. Here are some tips on making these conversations successful that I gleaned from Patrick as well as some that I have compiled based on my own experience: -- Frame your Career Development discussions around annual Goals and Objectives: If your company's culture encourages the development of company, department, team, and individual Goals and Objectives (Gs & Os) each year, then be sure that you have created a set of Gs and Os for your team as a whole and yourself that support your department's and company's annual Gs and Os. Then, work with each individual direct report in having them create their annual Gs & Os. These will provide a backdrop for your monthly Career Development discussions with each team member. -- Schedule these Career Development discussions with each direct report every month: At the beginning of each calendar year, make sure you schedule a Career Development discussion with each direct report each month. These meetings typically can be 30 minutes. If you find that you need a longer amount of time any given month, you can either lengthen it for that month or schedule an additional discussion for that month. -- Make sure the conversation is focused on the employee and listen carefully: Begin the conversation by asking how the employee is doing and how they feel their role is going. Listen closely to how they answer. You also may have heard them say things or seen them do things since your last monthly Career Development conversation that may have tipped you off to how they're feeling or doing. Evaluate their response to your questions and ask deeper questions if needed. Make sure that your employee knows that they can share openly their feelings, frustrations, or excitement with their role but help them understand that you care about them and their development. -- Discuss progress on annual Gs & Os as needed: While you may already get a sense of your employee's progress on their annual Gs & Os through other, more tactical discussions with them, ask them how they are progressing. What other ideas do you have for regular career development discussions with your direct reports?

As a manager acknowledging your responsibility to support the career development of your employees can seem like a big undertaking. Afterall, it’s not like there’s a shortage of other activities and priorities that you could or should be spending your time on. But while this can seem like a daunting set of tasks or responsibilities, it doesn’t necessarily have to be. Small practices over time can lead to results. Here are a couple examples of small actions and  types of support a manager can provide to an employee to help them with their career development ⭐ Pulses - These are pieces of feedback and data that you observe that give employees ideas about possibilities. They can be about their work, interests, or past experiences. Think of these as inputs that you can provide to employees that allow them to explore and ideate on career possibilities ⭐ Prompts - Sometimes we get stuck or aren’t sure what to do. We need a little nudge, idea, or prompt that encourages us to take action. Think of this as a firestarter that gets an employee “unstock” or inspires them to try something even if they don’t have all the answers. ⭐ Paths -  Sometimes we need a set of concrete steps or actions that show both the short term action and potential for medium term growth. Think of these as a string of steps/actions/ideas that when done, show progress towards a specific goal or outcome. If you’re a manager, I’d love to hear how else you’re supporting your employees with their career development! #managers #careerdevelopment #leadership

Don't merely instruct people to perform tasks. Rather, assist them in constructing a prosperous career. Here's how leaders can connect the dots. 🔑 Leaders help shed light on your career aspirations. They offer direction, help recognize your capabilities, and understand your career interests. This leads to gaining valuable insights, feedback, and the powerful feeling of having a clear path. 🔑 Leaders aid in developing skills necessary for career advancement and growth. They arrange opportunities for you to enroll in courses and explore new areas for growth. Working with such a leader brings about both personal and professional development. 🔑 Leaders act as your advocates. They represent and vouch for you behind closed doors. They put forward your name for promotion when the time is right. In them you find a trusted advisor, mentor, and potential sponsor for your career. Efficient leaders do more than just oversee tasks: they empower people to build careers through mentorship, skill development, goal setting, feedback, and acknowledgment. Strive to be a leader that fosters growth and inspires others to evolve. Sparked a thought? If leadership and personal mastery is your thing, hit 'follow' to join the conversation!

One-on-one meetings with your manager - source of growth and support or a frustrating experience ❓ Questions to turn those meetings into productive, meaningful conversations. First, don't be shy about steering the conversation in a direction that suits you. Here are some categories of questions you can use: 👉 Ask for Guidance and Input: Got challenges or struggling with something (let's call it "X")? Ask your manager for help in navigating and addressing it successfully. Need more resources for project "Y"? Seek ideas and thoughts. Have a brilliant idea "Z"? Get your manager's input on how to make it even better. 👉 Clarify Priorities and Expectations: Make sure you and your manager are on the same page. What should you be prioritizing? Are you taking on the right projects and tasks? Are you meeting your goals and expectations? 👉 Align with the Organization and Its Strategy: Understand how your role fits into the broader strategic goals of the organization. What's happening beyond your department that you should know about? How does your work tie into the company's goals and strategy? 👉 Seek Growth Opportunities and Career Advancement: Talk about your professional goals. What can you do to prepare for greater opportunities? How can you improve and develop to align with the organization's direction? Get insights into your strengths and the next steps in your career. 👉 Get Feedback on Your Performance: Check in on your performance without turning every meeting into a formal evaluation. Are you meeting expectations? What feedback can your manager share about your work? 👉 Build a Relationship: Connect with your manager personally. Ask about their day, how they're doing overall, and what excites them outside of work. It's not all business, you know! 👉 Offer Support: Managers need help too! Ask about their priorities and how you can assist. Maybe they have something keeping them up at night that you can lend a hand with. Now, remember, you don't have to bombard your manager with all these questions in one go! Pick a category or two for each meeting and rotate through them over time, and don't be afraid to dig deeper with follow-up questions like "why?" You'll gain valuable insights into the bigger picture of your work. Use these questions wisely, to turn your 1:1 meetings into an opportunity to build a better relationship with your manager. If you or someone you know is looking for a new role in 2024, DM me "OPENTOWORK" and I'll share ⭐ FREE ⭐ resources to support your job search efforts. 🔽 🔽 🔽 👋 Hi, I'm Graham. Thanks for checking out my Post. Here is what you can do next 🔽 ➕ Follow me to see me in your feed 🔔 Hit the bell on my profile for Post notifications ♻ Inform others in your network via a Share or Repost 📅 Please don't suffer in silence ❗ Book an appointment to discuss your job situation. #career #jobs #business #technology #finance

Did your competitors experience more growth year-over-year than you? The issue may not be a better product. To experience greater growth, business leaders need to encourage managers to pursue continued learning and growth opportunities. This does not just mean adding skills that are valuable in their current role. Think about what skills managers need to advance within your organization. What business groups, associations, or other organizations offer managers the opportunity to establish important industry relationships that would be valuable to your organization? Business leaders need to encourage, and sometimes push, managers to pursue opportunities that could establish relationships that help the business grow. Another disruptor to growth can be unnecessary oversight. Provide the tools needed for managers and employees to have autonomy and accountability and get out of their way. Ensure that your team doesn’t have to work to work. Allow your managers to lead their teams without always looking over their shoulders. You, or one of your business leaders, hired the individual to do the job, so show trust in their ability and that decision. Remember, nobody wants to work with someone constantly watching them. If they are unable to meet the goals, expectations, or demands of the job, that is a very different problem that will definitely impact the business growth.   Creating internal efficiencies can prevent unnecessary slowdowns and stoppages that impact the process and the ability to support additional growth. Smooth, streamlined processes enable managers to be more productive and achieve their goals. Along with growth, it is equally important that employees recognize that as the business grows so do their opportunities within the organization. As a result of our growth, we recently promoted several leaders in the organization to new positions with greater responsibilities and tools to grow their respective areas.