Tag Archives: growth
Deconstructing the Development Mindset
December 19, 2017 | | 3 Comments
Since Peter Senge coined the expression “learning organization” more than two decades ago, businesses around the world have aspired to leverage learning toward agility, transformation and long-term success. And most leaders will admit that they still struggle to make this dream a reality. But what if we reframe the conversation? What if we shift the focus from the organization to the individual? Because learning organizations are the result of individuals who possess a deeply held learning orientation and a commitment to growth. Learning organizations are the result of a workforce that shares a development mindset. Defining “development mindset” A development …
Posted in Leadership Matters
Tagged development mindset, expectations, feedback, growth, Mentoring, modeling, transformation
How Exceptional People Developers Beat Bad Systems
September 12, 2017 | | 2 Comments
A manager who doesn’t appreciate the value of something or simply doesn’t want to do it will always find an excuse not to. And, when it comes to employee development, one doesn’t have to look far for a legitimate one! Organizations unwittingly create impediments to growing people—something that’s recognized as a competitive advantage and requirement for sustainable success. Which barriers have you witnessed or experienced? A corporate schedule requiring that hours and hours of development planning and conversations be forced into a short window—frequently in the same time frame as budgeting or other mission-critical activities. Unnatural performance management systems and …
Posted in Career Matters, Leadership Matters
Tagged accountability, barriers, commitment, communication, growth, keep talking, meaning, motivation, people developers, progress
When the Growing Gets Tough
Think about the learning that contributed most powerfully to your development and who you are today. Consider the experiences that built the expertise you use and value most every day. Reflect on what you’re most proud of mastering during the course of your career or life. This memorable learning that has made a significant difference to you (and to the organizations you’ve served) likely didn’t come easily. The kind of learning that sticks with people, helping them achieve lifelong results, generally: Challenges them to change how they think, act, or perform in new ways. Takes significant energy and attention. Involves …
Posted in Career Matters, Leadership Matters, Learning Matters
Tagged career development, careers, engagement, goals, growth, leadership, leadership development, mindfulness
Want to Institutionalize Career Development? Look for (or Cultivate) these Cultural Markers
January 7, 2017 | | Leave a comment
Global field research over the past decade consistently leads to the same conclusion: The simple human act of helping people grow has become very complicated. Processes overshadow people. Deadlines trump genuine development. And a checklist mentality competes with creating authentic connections. But interviews with and input from thousands of leaders worldwide offer a different view of what’s needed to support genuine and sustainable career development. When asked specifically what helped them develop most powerfully, 8500+ leaders offered these observations. At its core, career development is all about conversation, commitment, opportunities, and culture. And organizations that understand this enjoy a range …
Posted in Career Matters
Tagged career development, collaborate, commitment, Conversation, culture, curiosity, growth, learning, opportunities, patience, results, transparency
Which Comes First?
July 26, 2016 | | Leave a comment
In preparation for an upcoming executive education session, I conducted a quick pulse survey earlier this month. I wanted to understand whether the leaders attending my training believe that there is a difference in the importance of career development to their employees based upon their current level of performance. And they do. A Picture of Perceptions The leaders polled perceive that career development is a pressing priority for their top performers. Nearly 75% indicate that it’s ‘very important’ to these exceptional employees and more than 20% rate it ‘somewhat important.’ They experience a high level of interest, attention, and motivation …
Posted in Career Matters, Leadership Matters
Tagged business, career development, coaching, feedback, Golem effect, growth, leadership, learning, performance, Pygmalion effect, skills, strengths
Redefine Results by Redefining Career Development
Given repeated rounds of downsizing, reorganizing, right sizing, and all of the other ‘zings’ that have befallen organizations, it’s easy to scan the landscape and come to the conclusion that career development options have shrunk… that they are few and far between for most employees. After all: Delayering has left already lean organizations with fewer stops along the food chain. Organizations continue to pursue outsourcing in the eternal quest for cost reduction. Baby boomers are not only having the audacity to live longer… but they’re also working longer and occupying chairs that in the past would have be vacated for …
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged business, career, career development, engagement, growth, leadership, learning, retention
Giving Career Development a Fresh Focus
March 8, 2016 | | Leave a comment
Career development is one of those supervisory responsibilities that frequently drops to the bottom of a manager’s to-do list. And it makes sense. Today’s managers are more time-pressed than ever before. Scary spans of control. Ever-escalating expectations. Demands to balance short-term and long-term results. Shadow work (think of how you currently act as your own banker, travel agent, and grocery clerk… and imagine all of the human resources, quality, and other workplace tasks that managers have absorbed). But, it’s been more than just busy-ness that has undermined a focus on career development. It’s also been trepidation. According to research I …
Posted in Leadership Matters
Tagged career conversation, growth, learning, promotions
OCD: The Unexpected Trait That Employees Want (And Organizations Need ) Most In A Leader
September 1, 2015 | | 2 Comments
While obsessive-compulsive disorder may come in handy in some business settings, the ‘OCD’ that employees want most from their leaders is something very different. It’s an obsession with career development. According to a recent study by Lee Hecht Harrison, 91% of employees polled report that career development is among their top priorities. Being able to learn, grow, and expand their capacity is of vital importance to most individuals. It’s also of vital importance to organizations interested in staying ahead of the customer demand curve, continuously improving products and services, and delivering shareholder value. Yet only a small percentage of employees are actually …
Posted in Leadership Matters
Tagged ability, business, career development, confidence, employee, employee satisfaction, Future, growth, leadership, learning, OCD, opportunity, shareholder value, skills, talents
Is it Time to Kill off ‘Career’?
Each year, Merriam-Webster and others add countless new words to the dictionary. But, are words ever deleted? If so, I might suggest ‘career’ as a possible contender. Used in conjunction with so many other terms – like development, progression, success, etc. – in recent years, ‘career’ has contributed to untold dissatisfaction, disengagement, demotivation, and general angst in the workplace. The Problem: Over the past decade, the workplace has experienced seismic shifts: Leaner, meaner organizations are the norm. Layers of leadership have been removed. In many industries and segments, attrition lags behind expectations due to baby boomers working longer. At the …
Posted in Career Matters
Tagged career, career ladder, contingent workers, development, employee dissatisfaction, employee engagement, growth, lexicon, millennials
Develop or Die
There seems to be a trend in development today… maybe you’ve noticed it. Perhaps because they’re woefully overburdened with spans of control that are inhuman and inhumane, or perhaps because training and development budgets have been cut to the bone yet again leaving in their wake a sense of scarcity, or perhaps because the corporate ladder has narrowed dramatically and the rungs that are left look a bit rickety – whatever the reason, managers are willingly accepting their employees’ lack of interest in development. Working with several organizations recently, I’ve experienced many managers who respond with relief when their employees …
Posted in Career Matters, Leadership Matters, Learning Matters
Tagged business, development, growth, leader, manager
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When you help employees grow….engagement, retention, productivity, and business results will grow as well.
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