Best Ways to Provide Career Development Resources

This week, I facilitated a manager workshop on how to grow and develop people and teams. One question sparked a great conversation: “How do you develop your people outside of formal programs?” It’s a great question. IMO, one of the highest leverage actions a leader can take is making small, but consistent actions to develop their people. While formal learning experiences absolutely a role, there are far more opportunities for growth outside of structured settings from an hours in the day perspective. Helping leaders recognize and embrace this is a major opportunity. I introduced the idea of Practices of Development (PODs) aka small, intentional activities integrated into everyday work that help employees build skills, flex new muscles, and increase their impact. Here are a few examples we discussed: 🌟 Paired Programming: Borrowed from software engineering, this involves pairing an employee with a peer to take on a new task—helping them ramp up quickly, cross-train, or learn by doing. 🌟 Learning Logs: Have team members track what they’re working on, learning, and questioning to encourage reflection. 🌟 Bullpen Sessions: Bring similar roles together for feedback, idea sharing, and collaborative problem-solving, where everyone both A) shares a deliverable they are working on, and B) gets feedback and suggestions for improvement 🌟 Each 1 Teach 1:  Give everyone a chance to teach one work-related skill or insight to the team. 🌟 I Do, We Do, You Do:Adapted from education, this scaffolding approach lets you model a task, then do it together, then hand it off. A simple and effective way to build confidence and skill. 🌟 Back Pocket Ideas:  During strategy/scoping work sessions, ask employees to submit ideas for initiatives tied to a customer problem or personal interest. Select the strongest ones and incorporate them into their role. These are a few examples that have worked well. If you’ve found creative ways to build development opportunities into your employees day to day work, I’d love to hear what’s worked for you!

Your people want to grow… But you’re not listening. Employees crave development, not just feedback. Leaders miss the bigger picture: ↳ Skill gaps and ambitions. Otherwise, employees feel: 1. Unheard 2. Undervalued 3. Stuck Without growth, engagement drops. Turnover soars… You need more than feedback. You need an actionable strategy. Here’s how: 1. Use Structured Frameworks. - Standardized templates reduce personal biases. - Blend metrics with narratives for actionable insights. - Structured feedback eliminates guesswork. 2. Focus On Future Goals. - Set SMART goals to make development clear. - Shift feedback from past to forward-looking progress. - Align team growth with your company’s goals. 3. Listen To Employees' Voices. - Surveys uncover ambitions often left unspoken. - Safe spaces allow employees to share openly. - Listening fosters trust and deeper engagement. 4. Bridge The Gap For Future Success. - Use benchmarks to prioritize critical skill gaps. - Compare current skills to those your future requires. - Prepare employees today for tomorrow’s challenges. 5. Empower Growth Ownership. - Prompts like “Where do I excel?” spark reflection. - Encourage employees to own development paths. - Regular discussions keep growth consistent and visible. 6. Collaborate On Development Goals. - Build trust with safe, judgment-free feedback spaces. - Visualise their goals, showing progress and alignment. - Collaboration ensures both clarity and accountability. When growth is intentional, businesses succeed. Focus on development now to avoid turnover later. Invest in your people to future-proof your business. Follow Jonathan Raynor. Reshare to help others.

A lot of People Ops leaders have talked to us about having a large population of new managers who need training. Here's a collection of all the L&D strategies I've heard so far to tackle this: 🤝 MENTORSHIP PROGRAM Chances are, you have great experienced managers in the org who are eager to teach your newer leaders. Creating a mentorship program is an easy way to create cross-team collaboration and give teammates applicable learnings they can use for managing at your company. 💸 L&D BUDGETS I heard a lot of mentions of dedicated L&D stipends for employees, and this is especially important for new managers. Go beyond a patch solution by recommending books, courses, and trainings for them to purchase. The best teams also lean into marketing these benefits well and often. 👋 NEW MANAGER PLAYBOOK/STARTER PACK No one can define what great management looks at your company besides you, which is where playbooks and starter packs can really come in handy. Walk them through the skills and competencies they need and give them an few points of contact with HRBPs when they have a question. 💚 FACILITATED SUPPORT GROUP A big shoutout to Peter Mostachetti, who's story of manager support groups was some of the best I've heard so far. Create shared learning experiences or readings and bring your managers together to discuss them. The discussion and camaraderie is where this information will really stick! 👩🏫 SPOT WORKSHOPS WITH SME's Another favorite activity I've heard, bring in some great subject matter experts to speak on leadership, communication, and managing teams. Some of my favorites include the incredible Kim Scott, Jessica Chen, Lindsey Nehls, Ali Merchant, and Scott Asai to name a few. 💬 LEADERSHIP GROUP COACHING Individual coaching can feel out of budget for a lot of HR teams, but that's where group coaching can be really handy. Bring in executive coaches like Matthew Cooke or Janine Davis, at Evolution to facilitate support groups and shared coaching experiences. They can dive deep into leadership situations and give managers great insight! 🍏 THIRD-PARTY OR IN-HOUSE COURSES We've seen L&D and HR teams go the extra mile for their managers by developing custom courses. This is a time-consuming labor of love, and some incredible folks like Josh Zimmerman have built entire trainings with a team of one. An alternative option, you can purchase external courses from Coursera/Udemy/LinkedIn Learning, or go with providers like Elevate Leadership. What new manager development options did I miss? Did you have any favorites? Let me know in the comments! Next Monday's issue of my Substack dives deep into this topic. Sign up today so you don't miss it: https://lnkd.in/gGiTem3y #management #training #leadership #learninganddevelopment #hr #peopleops

Rejecting internal candidates without a clear development plan can be demoralizing. When an internal candidate takes the leap to interview for a new role, they’re showing ambition, drive, and a desire to grow within the company. Let's use this opportunity to support their career development. Here’s how we can make a positive impact: 1. Transparent Feedback ↳Provide detailed, constructive feedback. ↳Highlight their strengths and the areas they need to develop to be successful in future opportunities. 2. Personalized Development Plan ↳Collaborate with them to create a tailored development plan. ↳This could include training, mentorship, or project assignments that align with their career goals. 3. Regular Check-ins ↳Schedule periodic meetings to review progress, offer support, and adjust the plan as needed. ↳Celebrate their milestones and achievements along the way. 4. Encourage Continuous Learning ↳Recommend relevant courses, workshops, and resources. ↳Foster a culture of continuous improvement and learning. 5. Mentorship and Networking ↳Connect them with mentors and encourage them to build their network within the company. ↳These relationships can provide guidance, support, and new opportunities. Investing in our internal team members strengthens our team and the company as a whole. What else would you add? ♻️ Repost this if you agree ➕ Follow Anna Chernyshova for more posts like this

Skills are now the currency of work. But without a clear way to assess them, it is difficult to know where to invest. There is a lot of talk about organizations becoming skills-based, yet most still lack reliable approaches for identifying and evaluating employee capabilities. Strategic skills assessment requires combining methods to gain a comprehensive view of an employee's proficiency and growth potential. Use the infographic as a preliminary guide for where to look. Then, the focus should be on developing the critical skills necessary to sustain a competitive advantage for businesses and individuals. Here are the resources to help build that engine: 1️⃣ Learning & Development Program Build and scale employee capability through targeted learning practices that are structured to grow with your organization’s needs. Core Practices: https://lnkd.in/gncHk37m Advanced Practices: https://lnkd.in/g_qPMJmW Emerging Practices: https://lnkd.in/gYtpvBsA 2️⃣ Employee Skills Assessment Standards and Methods Explore validated ways to assess skills across the employee lifecycle and identify which mix of methods works best for your goals. https://lnkd.in/gvqG8SAh 3️⃣ Building Skill Stacking in Organizations Support continuous development by enabling employees to stack new, adjacent skills that keep them relevant and ready for what’s next. https://lnkd.in/gPKwVHkJ 4️⃣ Experiential Development: A Superior Learning Approach Accelerate employee growth through experiential development with hands-on methods that outperform traditional skills learning approaches. https://lnkd.in/gwEKRAMf 5️⃣ Harnessing Informal Learning Measurement for Rapid Skill Growth Capture and act on learning happening outside formal programs, using indicators that reflect actual growth and impact. https://lnkd.in/gBh4QeRc 👉🏽 All of these resources are available on the Wowledge platform. ~~~ Click Carlos Larracilla and follow me [+🔔] for daily resources from Wowledge. ⤷ We’re ending the cycle of reinventing the wheel in HR by providing a shortcut to amplifying HR impact with: ✔ A scalable system of best practices. ✔ Expert-built guides and execution-ready tools. ✔ A customizable Strategic HR Roadmap.

𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 & 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 🌐 Feeling like your learning initiatives are isolated and disconnected from real-world application? You’re not alone. Traditional learning methods often fall short when it comes to practical application, leaving employees struggling to effectively use new skills and knowledge in their roles. 📌 The cost of inaction? Employees may fail to apply what they’ve learned, leading to wasted training resources and a workforce that isn’t fully equipped to meet the challenges of their roles. Here’s how you can revolutionize your L&D strategy by integrating social learning: 🎯 Collaborative Platforms: Utilize tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, or Yammer to create spaces where employees can share insights, ask questions, and collaborate on projects. These platforms facilitate real-time communication and foster a culture of continuous learning. 🎯 Peer Discussions: Encourage regular peer-to-peer discussions and knowledge sharing sessions. This could be through lunch-and-learn events, study groups, or online forums. When employees discuss what they’ve learned with peers, it reinforces their understanding and highlights practical applications. 🎯 Real-World Problem-Solving Activities: Incorporate case studies, role-playing scenarios, and group projects into your training programs. These activities provide employees with opportunities to apply new skills in a controlled, yet realistic, environment, bridging the gap between learning and application. 🎯 Mentorship Programs: Pair less experienced employees with seasoned mentors. This not only helps in skill transfer but also fosters a supportive learning environment where employees feel comfortable seeking guidance and feedback. 🎯 User-Generated Content: Encourage employees to create and share their own training materials, such as how-to videos, blog posts, or presentations. This not only democratizes the learning process but also allows for diverse perspectives and insights. 🎯 Social Media Integration: Leverage social media platforms to enhance learning. Create private groups on LinkedIn or Facebook where employees can share articles, insights, and experiences related to their roles. By integrating social learning into your L&D strategy, you’ll create a more dynamic, interactive, and practical learning environment. This approach not only boosts engagement but also ensures that employees can effectively apply their new skills and knowledge in real-world scenarios. What innovative strategies have you implemented to integrate social learning in your organization? Share your experiences in the comments! ⬇️ #LearningAndDevelopment #SocialLearning #EmployeeTraining #ContinuousLearning #Collaboration #WorkplaceInnovation

Leadership development is not just a one-time training event (time to change): Is your organization truly investing in its leaders? Developing leadership is more than just a one-time event. It needs an ongoing approach with several key parts. To grow strong leaders, focus on these four areas: 1️⃣ 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 & 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸: ↳ 360-degree feedback for strengths & areas to improve. ↳ EQ and leadership skills make sure leaders are balanced. ↳ Career plans give a path for growth. ➟ 𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡: Do regular assessments to track progress. -- 2️⃣ 𝗖𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 & 𝗠𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴: ↳ Executive coaching offers personal guidance. ↳ Peer coaching creates a supportive environment. ↳ Mentor relationships build trust and share knowledge. ➟ 𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡: Set up a coaching and mentoring program. -- 3️⃣ 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸 & 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲: ↳ Stretch assignments challenge leaders to grow. ↳ Action learning mixes learning with real work. ↳ Real work experiences build practical skills and confidence. ➟ 𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡: Give stretch tasks and encourage action learning projects. -- 4️⃣ 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 & 𝗘𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: ↳ Blended learning uses different training methods. ↳ Common models & shared meanings ensure consistency. ↳ Aligning expectations and leader-led sessions reinforce learning. ➟ 𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡: Make a training plan with blended learning methods that fit goals. -- Investing in these areas will grow your leaders and build a strong, innovative, and forward-thinking organization. Start today! __________ 💡 React if this resonated with you. 💬 Comment to share your thoughts. ♻️ Repost to benefit your network. ➕ Follow me for more content like this.     

If your employee isn't developing, it might be your fault. Here's the simple tool high development companies use to build up their people. It's not enough to simply tell an employee "get better at XYZ." Just like employees need support and structure to hit their performance goals, they also need support to hit their developmental goals. You need a Developmental Container. This includes 3 things: 1. Agreement, between you and the employee, about what they must develop, what success looks like, and by when. 2. Ownership: the employee must create their own plan to develop themselves to that standard, and run it by you for approval. 3. Commitment to accountability: You must talk with your employee, holding them accountable to their plan, with the same level of rigor you would for any performance goal. The best companies don't become so by accident. They intentionally build up their people along the way. If you want your employees to develop, recognize that that's part of your job, too. #leadership #management #entrepreneurship

Not every higher ed staff role comes with a promotion path. But that doesn’t mean staff can’t grow. On many campuses, the reality is: 👉 Small teams 👉 Flat org charts 👉 Limited turnover That’s why leadership matters. We have both an opportunity (and an obligation) to help staff develop and grow. And it starts with one thing: knowing your people. ✅ What are their career goals? ✅ What kind of work energizes them? ✅ Where do they want to build new skills? ✅ What’s the next opportunity they hope to pursue—on campus or beyond? You can’t support someone if you don’t know what matters to them. In my experience: 👉 The goal isn’t to keep staff in place as long as possible. 👉 The goal is to help them build the skills, relationships, and experiences that prepare them for what’s next—whatever will fulfill them. Sometimes that’s preparing for their next job. Other times, it’s simply helping them continue to grow as a professional and as a person. And when staff know you’re invested in their development—not just their daily output: ✅ They engage more deeply ✅ They contribute more creatively ✅ They often stay longer—because they trust you’ll support their future, not just your current needs Here are a few practical ways leaders can support that growth: 1️⃣ Build real relationships—know your staff as people, not just job descriptions 2️⃣ Career conversations—not just at annual reviews, but throughout the year 3️⃣ Stretch assignments—offer projects that align with their interests and build new skills 4️⃣ Professional development—invest in training, mentorship, and cross-campus opportunities 5️⃣ Skill-building—help them gain experience that makes them competitive for future roles Bottom line: You may not be able to promise promotions. But you can create an environment where staff learn, grow, and leave more capable than they came. 🚨  If you want to dive deeper - I wrote more about this in my latest issue of The Academic Leader’s Playbook. You can sign up on my profile page. ----------------------------------------- ♻️ Repost this to help other academic leaders.  👉 Newsletter: The Academic Leader’s Playbook—sign up in my profile. 💬 Follow for posts about higher education, leadership, & the arts. #LeadershipGoals #HigherEdSuccess #HigherEducation #academicstaff #deans #provosts #academicleadership #staffdevelopment

THE DISCONNECT IS GROWING: Talent wants career development, companies want speed. I've had a front row seat for many years now, listening to the growing tensions of both talent and organizations. Here's the reality; ➡️ Talent is asking for real career growth, clearer advancement paths, and relevant skill development. ➡️ Companies are chasing increasingly aggressive business targets, often without slowing down to invest in internal learning infrastructure. L&D and internal career development teams know how vital their work is. I've been there building, iterating, and refining processes. But, with the increased pressure HR departments face, many teams are under-resourced, over-tasked, and constantly having to justify ROI in a system that rewards short-term gains. THE RESULT? A disconnect that leaves employees and prospective employees frustrated and many organizations underprepared, especially in industries evolving too quickly for traditional workforce training methods to keep up. SO, WHERE EXACTLY ARE THE DISCONNECTS? From a practitioner's perspective (currently 3rd party, myself), L&D has always been seen as a “nice-to-have,” instead of a strategic function. 1.) Without direct ROI correlation, it gets deprioritized. 2.) Career pathing is vague or nonexistent; employees want to see HOW they can grow and what specific skills they need to get there. 3.) Training is still too centralized or one-size-fits-all; it can’t scale fast enough or meet the needs of fast-evolving roles. 4.) Skills training isn’t embedded into the flow of work; when learning happens outside of everyday tasks, it’s often ignored. REAL SOLUTIONS; ✔️ Smarter, faster, more agile on-the-job learning models; think social learning, peer mentoring, cross-functional job shadowing, and internal micro-learning platforms. People learn better while doing, especially when it’s embedded into daily workflows. My friend Mark Britz taught me about social learning, and I have integrating it effectively in my classrooms! It works. ✔️ Redefine ROI in L&D; frame learning as a tool for improving retention, productivity, and innovation. Even small upskilling investments can reduce costly turnover. ✔️ Modular, technical skills training that flexes with business needs; smaller, high-impact sprints of training, aligned to actual tools and job functions are more effective than long-form, generic, lecture-based training programs. ✔️ Give frontline managers ownership of their team's growth; equip leaders to have better career conversations. It’s not just HR’s job. We need to build workforce learning systems that readily evolve as fast as business goals, and position career development not as a perk, but as a business-critical function. Leaders-if your talent is your competitive advantage. It’s time to invest like that’s true. Let's build tomorrow's workforce, today. #CareerDevelopment #TalentStrategy #talentretention #WorkforceDevelopment #LearningCulture