Ways to Encourage Team Members to Pursue Growth

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!

This quote got me thinking. Early in my career, I struggled with how people showed up. I was often called too intense, I was often perceived as overwhelming, but the truth of it is I SHOWED UP! I was engaged, I was committed, and I wanted to make an impact. Not knowing why there was such a difference between how I showed up and others, I learned … that ONLY 31% of employees are enthusiastic and energized by their work? Imagine that almost 70% of the people in your team are there because they just have to 🫣 I honestly can't imagine that, which is why I implemented some solutions in my teams, most of it worked, some of it I’m still testing & trying … Here are some things I did: 👉 Trust & Empower: I involve my team in decision-making processes and push decisions to them when possible. This fosters a sense of ownership and responsibility. 👉 Celebrate Feedback: I create an environment where feedback is frequent and constructive. It encourages continuous learning and growth. 👉 Connect 'Why' to Vision: I share a compelling vision to motivate team members and clearly explain why their contributions matter. 👉 Offer Development: I signal my commitment to personal growth with training and development opportunities. It sparks motivation and increases loyalty. 👉 Recognize & Praise: I acknowledge achievements and make saying ‘thank you’ my default. A little recognition goes a long way to boost morale and motivation. 👉 Promote Diversity: I embrace diverse perspectives and backgrounds to enrich the work environment, prompt healthy debate, and drive innovation. 👉 Encourage Collaboration: I encourage teamwork on projects. This builds a sense of community and belonging while also accelerating learning 👉 Challenge Comfort Zones: I push and encourage team members to expand their skills and what they think is possible. It promotes growth and enthusiasm. 👉 Cultivate Inclusivity: I ensure all voices are heard. For example, I make sure extroverts don't steal the show and create the space needed for quieter team members to speak. Be the leader that serves, empowers and inspires. And all will go just fine 🙌 #EmployeeEngagement #TeamMotivation #WorkCulture

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

Find your sweet spot and help your team find theirs. Each person on your team is on their own career journey. As a leader of the team, it’s your responsibility to nurture and support career development AND to keep a pulse of the overall health of the team. Here’s an approach I’ve used in the past that I hope you'll find helpful. The key to high performance is to find the sweet spot where each person on the team is really motivated by their work and also has a high degree of skill to actually do the work well. A great starting point is to have a conversation with each person on your team to get a sense of where they are in their journey. Using this framework can give you a sense of where they are in these four quadrants, and help you prioritize how you spend your time supporting the team. It can also be a useful tool for you to think about where you are personally on this arc. 𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐀 (𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠) People usually start here. Eager to learn and seek out opportunities to stretch, but haven’t yet developed a high degree of competence in the work. * Action: connect them to experts to learn from and shadow. Expose them to stretch assignments to learn by doing. 𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐁 (𝐒𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐭) This is someone that’s really motivated by the work and is recognized as an expert. * Action: find out where they want to continue to grow to build upon their expertise. This could be expanding the scope of their role to anchor on areas of strength while exposing them to new opportunities. Find opportunities for them to mentor and coach others. 𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐂 (𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐙𝐨𝐧𝐞) Someone that’s been doing the same thing for too long may become less interested in the work over time. It’s a natural progression. This is when people may be at risk of leaving or under performing. If they stay in this headspace for too long, they may become less effective in their role because they’re not motivated to learn new skills as the role evolves.  * Action: these are often people on the team that have been around longer or have more experience in a certain area. Look for opportunities to reboot and spark interest. These are great opportunities to leverage their expertise to apply to other types of adjacent work. For example, an experienced sourcer may be getting burned out from high volume engineering and could be energized by getting exposure to executive or leadership level searches. 𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐃 (𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐎𝐮𝐭) When someone is here they’re not engaged with the work and don’t have a high degree of competence in the work either. This is a place that isn’t healthy for the team or the individual. * Action: find a role that plays to their strengths either on your team or elsewhere in the company. If there isn’t an opportunity internally, it may be time to help support them in finding something externally so that you can bring on someone that’s more motivated and qualified to do the work.

Have you ever worked at a company that really got it right when it comes to supporting your career growth? While it’s easy to point to the places that get it wrong, here’s what some of the best companies I’ve worked with did to get it right: Transparency Around Promotions: They made it very clear what was required to rise up to the next level and had an accountability system so that promotion decisions reflected this, rather than things like nepotism and being in today’s equivalent of the “Old Boys Club.” Career Coaches: While many companies only offer career coaches at the more senior level, those that offer this more broadly are offering a lifelong contribution to their teams’ development. I’ve had coaches from 10 years ago whose wisdom still impacts my life today! They help you to reflect on your goals, assess your strengths and opportunity areas, and so much more! Foster Connections: Whether it’s formal mentoring programs, regular skip-levels, or cross-business unit networking opportunities, we learn so much from our colleagues. It’s the relationships that really helped me to grow, to meet people and see how they got to their roles, to identify paths that I wanted to pursue. Allow Time for Training: Most places give you a training budget, but it’s the places and managers that actually offered me the time to take this training that really made a difference to me. If your workload is already so off the charts that you’re burning the candle at both ends, training is the first thing to go out the window. I’m so grateful for the organizations that encouraged me to take additional training and offered me the time to do so! 🤔 What about you? What have the best companies you’ve worked for done right in supporting your career growth? #LinkedInTopCompanies #LITrendingTopics #employeewellbeing #careergrowth #workplaceculture

🔆 I hope that you aren't here in 3 years 🔆 When I started a new position I was told these words from my manager. At first I was confused and a little taken aback. This person doesn't even know me and I don't know them. I asked for clarification and thats when it all made sense. They said "I know that you are going to outgrow this role, my job is to train you to reach your highest potential even if that isn't in this position". Those words hit hard! I knew immediately that this manager was going to help me be the best I could be. Training your employees to leave, and treat them well enough they want to stay. How do we grow our employees: ✅ Invest in their development. Give them the tools, training, and mentorship they need to succeed not just in their current role, but in their career. ✅ Encourage career conversations. Ask them about their goals, help them build a path forward, and support their ambitions even if that means they outgrow your team. ✅ Create a culture of appreciation. When employees feel valued, respected, and challenged, they won’t feel the need to look elsewhere for fulfillment. ✅ Lead with trust and transparency. Employees who feel trusted and empowered are more likely to stay engaged and committed. The best workplaces aren’t the ones that trap employees, they’re the ones that make leaving a difficult choice because of how great it is to stay. #Leadership #CareerDevelopment #EmployeeGrowth #WorkCulture