How to Support New Entrants in Their Career Path

Most managers are bad at a critical part of their job... b/c most probably don't think it's their job. 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭! It's something I frequently think about. And I hope anyone who has ever worked for me feels this. Here are some of the things I do to help develop my team. 𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐒𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐲 When someone joins the team, I send a Welcome Survey that covers work styles, professional development & personal interests. Questions include:  – What impact do you want to have at Crosschq? – What are you most excited to learn in your new role? – What are your career goals in the next 5 to 10 years? – List 3-5 professional skills that you'd like to develop in the next year. – What would make this job especially meaningful and enjoyable? DM me for my full survey. 𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤-𝐈𝐧𝐬 Different than a weekly 1:1, in this meeting, we take a step back to assess how things are going. I'll often pull up the welcome survey to guide the conversation, but it's a chance to ensure:  – They are getting what they need out of the job – The company is getting what it needs from them I'm asking questions like:  – Do you know what is expected of you? – Do you have what you need to be successful?  – Do you feel like your work is having an impact?  – Are you enjoying your work and the people you work with?  – Do you feel like you have the opportunity to do your best work? Then, we spend a chunk of time on career pathing so they know what’s needed to move to the next level. 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐅𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 Any good manager knows they must give frequent feedback, but there's still value in more formal performance reviews. Feedback is something I try to weave into the culture by training my team on how to give & receive feedback. Personally, it's something I'm still working on. 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐞𝐭 One of the most important things a leader must do is intentionally create their team culture. I believe this is separate (but strongly aligned with) the company culture. The best way to do that: values & operating principles. One of the core principles I always set is continuous learning and a growth mindset. Other things I think about for good career development: 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 Open comm ensures everyone feels comfortable discussing their aspirations, concerns & feedback. 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 Involve other stakeholders/depts to ensure that development plans are holistic and integrated into the broader org strategy. 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐝 Eveyrone is unique. Personalize the plan to suit their specific needs & aspirations. 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 Be open about the business's needs and how they align with individual growth paths, so expectations are clear on both sides. 𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 Allow everyone the autonomy to make decisions regarding their career path, providing guidance and support as needed. What would you add? 

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

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

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?

"It's a challenge to ensure everything is perfect, and sometimes I want to do it all alone". This is a very common situation with newly promoted first-time managers. Every first-time manager encounters this daunting feeling of responsibility and the desire to excel in every aspect of their role. The transition from an individual contributor to a leadership position can be overwhelming, but it's crucial to remember that this is a typical problem experienced by many new managers. Acknowledging this challenge is the first step towards growth and development. As experienced managers know, our performance is not measured solely by our individual achievements. Instead, it revolves around the success of the teams we lead. The true measure of our leadership lies in empowering and supporting our team members to achieve exceptional results collectively. 📊 Manager Output = Team Performance + Leadership Support 🌟 💼 Let's take Anahit, a new manager responsible for a marketing team. Instead of evaluating her performance based on her individual contributions, we assess the team's performance under her leadership. Anahit's role includes guiding the team, providing resources, and fostering collaboration. As a result, the team has successfully launched two successful campaigns, gaining higher engagement and brand recognition. Anahit's leadership support has been instrumental in these achievements, showcasing her effective management skills. 💡 To further illustrate this concept, let's consider Armen, a first-time manager overseeing a software development team. Armen recognizes that his team members have varying levels of experience and expertise. By understanding their task-relevant maturity, Armen tailors his management approach accordingly. For more experienced team members, he provides autonomy and trust in their decision-making, while for those still developing their skills, he offers more guidance and support. The result is a well-balanced and motivated team that consistently delivers high-quality projects. 🌱 There are couple of things that we can do to support our new managers: 1️⃣ Focus on empowering and nurturing your team members' growth and potential. 2️⃣ Foster a culture where diverse ideas are celebrated, and teamwork is at the core. 3️⃣ As experienced leaders, offer mentorship and guidance to help new managers flourish in their roles. 4️⃣ Emphasize the importance of continuous improvement rather than seeking perfection. 5️⃣ Recognize and celebrate collective achievements, reinforcing the value of teamwork. In conclusion, being a first-time manager comes with its share of challenges, but by focusing on team success, embracing growth, and providing the right support, we can empower new managers to thrive in their roles. #Leadership #Management #FirstTimeManagers #TeamSuccess #PerformanceManagement #GrowthMindset #Empowerment #HighOutputManagement