Question: We”™ve got a couple of employees we don”™t want to lose who can”™t grow where they are. We don”™t want to create a situation where we have disgruntled employees because they”™re not considered for growth opportunities. How do we handle it?
Thoughts of the day: Building human capital for the future can be as simple as paying attention to the talent you already have and filling in the gaps over time. Build an individualized growth plan for each employee. Show people how their efforts can be rewarded over time. Look for opportunities to uncover hidden talent. Always have a backup plan.
Look around your company. Who understands what the company is all about and is as committed to making things happen for the company as the people who already show up for work every day? Before you start looking outside for management and technical skills, consider the pool of talent you already have to work with.
Consider the challenges your company is facing. Has the company grown faster than the people? Have people given up and stopped making progress? Will the current obstacles simply take some time to overcome? Does the company need a new set of skills? Can those skills be taught, and if so by whom and how long will it take to do the teaching?
Meet with each employee to discuss what they”™re good at and to find out what they want to learn about next. Keep in mind it is human nature for people to want to grow and learn. Give every employee a vision of the opportunities they can take on within your company as they build skills and learn new things.
Be honest when someone raises a hand to try something new and you find they”™re not ready. Document a list of classes, job rotations and cross training that can help that employee make progress. Engage employees by asking them to make suggestions on where and how they could best learn more.
Honesty is crucial with employees. If you see that they have untapped talent, tell them. Encourage them to take on additional responsibility and engage in opportunities to learn new skills.
If you find a person backs away, find out why. Sometimes people get overloaded, whether at home or at work. See if you can give them the room to stay where they are for a short while until things in their life settle down.
Agree on a timeframe to take a pause. Also make it clear that it”™s important to move forward again on the other side of that timeout. Discuss the financial consequences: People need to understand that sitting still will stall their income growth.
There may be situations in which an employee wants to head in a different direction. Discuss how building skills working for your company can help them in the future. But when you see them backing away from growth, increasing the number of mistakes they”™re making and not paying attention, know that it”™s time for a change. Help them out the door by encouraging them to pursue their dreams elsewhere.
Focus on the keepers, the employees who know they want to be doing what your company does. Look for people who recognize that they can build a career by helping with the growth and development of your company. Show them how that can turn into additional opportunities and compensation.
Encourage people to try new things. Help them get college educations and technical training. Show people how to increase their value to themselves as well as to your company. Keep in mind that you may be inspiring people who have few other sources of encouragement.
Always have at least two or three people who are backups. Life takes twists and turns. The best succession plan can be disrupted by something unexpected. Make sure your company can weather disruptions by building teams of people who can take over in case of emergency.
Think about what you want for your company and personal legacy.
Ӣ Did a great job producing a product or service.
Ӣ Built a pool of talented people who can sing the companyӪs praises.
Ӣ Built the next generation that can ensure the company continues on.
What would you want written on your tombstone?
Andi Gray is president of Strategy Leaders Inc., strategyleaders.com, a business-consulting firm that specializes in helping entrepreneurial firms grow. She can be reached by phone at 877-238-3535. Do you have a question for Andi? Send it via email to AskAndi@strategyleaders. Visit AskAndi.com for an entire library of Ask Andi articles.
