Employee Development & Organizational Goals

Question: How can managers effectively align employee development with organizational goals?

Response: That is such a good question. Employee development is so important, especially for younger generations of employees. They do want to learn and grow so they can continue making contributions.

Career development offers an opportunity for manager and employee to work together to enhance the employee’s performance, prepare them for future assignments and responsibilities, and contribute to the organization’s goals. So, it’s important to consider the needs of the employee, the department and the organization. There must be alignment among the goals of all three.

When you look at the organization’s needs, consider where your department is now and how its function might change in the near future and over the next several years. Then consider if these changes will require your team to have new or different knowledge and skills. Finally, assess each individual employee’s skills, abilities, and potential for development. Understand where they are now so you can prepare them for the future.

Considering changing and future needs takes us to upskilling and reskilling. Upskilling is learning new skills needed in existing positions as the result of changing technology, for example, while reskilling is learning new skills for a different job in the organization. Both, but especially reskilling, are advantageous.  For the employee, it’s a path for growth. For the organization, it is easier and more cost effective to train existing employees who have a history with you versus recruiting unknown talent.

As you conduct your assessments, bring the employee into the process. Meet with them and discuss their interests and career goals along with any potential future opportunities. In one instance, you may learn their aspirations far exceed what the organization can provide, but in another you may discover an employee whose aspiration exceed your expectations of them. This gives you valuable information to plan next steps.

Once you settle on a direction, encourage the employee to work with you to create an individual development plan or IDP which typically includes:

1. A clear statement of professional goals and objectives

2. Steps and activities to achieve them

3. Work opportunities or assignments of interest for the short and long term

4. An assessment of the necessary qualifications to perform those assignments

5. 5.    An assessment of training and development needed to prepare for those assignments, along with specific developmental activities and target dates for completion.

Clearly, creating an IDP must be a collaborative effort. Managers assume the role of career coach and are likely to see things differently than the employee. They also have a broader view of the organization. This may seem like work, but employees will become quickly engaged, will be less likely to leave, and it will pay off.

There is so much information managers need to be effective and we provide a great deal in our books, The Decisive Manager and The Manager’s Answer Book.  They are valuable reads for leaders at all levels. With Boss’s Day in just two weeks, you may want to check out these resources and share this information with a colleague.