• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Pathfinder Advisors

Business management consultants Brisbane Australia

  • Home
  • What we do
    • How We Do It
    • Training
  • About Us
    • Our Team
    • 200% ROI Guarantee
  • Resources
    • 10 Steps to Greater Staff Engagement
    • The Ultimate Sales Improvement Guide
  • Insights
  • Contact

What happens when you don’t provide professional development for your staff?

February 8, 2018 By Stuart Ayling Leave a Comment

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

how to provide training and professional developmentAs a business owner or CEO do you find it hard to figure out what to do about professional and personal development for your team?

  • Who should be doing what training?
  • What sort of professional development would be best?
  • Should you even worry about personal development opportunities?

It can get confusing.

But make no mistake… there is a definite impact on your business from either providing, or not providing, professional and personal development for staff.

Research into the Millennial (Gen Y) cohort clearly shows that staff who don’t feel as though they are improving their skills won’t stay around in your business. At least the good ones won’t!

And it’s not only Gen Y who feel like that. Many people want to improve themselves and feel more productive.

Not satisfied = disengaged workforce

If your team don’t feel like they are valued or aren’t getting a sense of achievement from their work (including their professional and personal development) you can expect to see classic symptoms of a disengaged workforce such as:

  • No initiative, lacking motivation to do their job
  • Lack of interest in helping others
  • Finding fault with others, or with the way the business operates
  • Poor attendance
  • Lack of learning

From experience working with many businesses here are a few thoughts that are probably relevant for you, your team and your business.

(1) Offer a dual track development journey

A practical approach to maximising the employee experience, as well as creating a high-performance team, is to implement a Dual Track Development Journey. The dual track is:

Role-Based development combined with Career-Based development

Role-based development includes essential and advanced skills and knowledge required to improve performance in the role the team member now holds.

Career-based development addresses a selected number of development options drawn from a suite of capabilities deemed important for the career path of the individual.

Here are some learning options you could include in a development plan:

  • Studying an online course (e.g. a tutorial on Lynda or free MOOC from a university).
  • Attending external training courses.
  • Signing up for ecourses delivered via email.
  • Individual activities focusing on specific skills.
  • Receiving mentoring from a suitable colleague.
  • Attending specific industry events to learn from industry leaders and influencers.
  • Reading relevant books or ‘thought leader’ resources (and sharing their insights with others).
  • Receiving regular coaching from their team leader.
  • Learning more about the business and your clients by shadowing colleagues in various parts of the business or spending time onsite with clients.

Within the development journey it’s important to create and maintain the balance of expectations for team members. It could be easy for them to develop a sense of entitlement; that they should be able to access every development opportunity that is available.

However, some opportunities, especially career-based options, should be available to those who earn it. That is, to team members who are reaching predefined performance standards.

(2) Create escalating leadership opportunities

In combination with the Dual Track Development Journey it could also be a good idea to establish a variety of leadership-related development opportunities.

For example, this path could provide opportunities with increasing levels of responsibility, such as:

Level 1: Outstanding performance in own role (an essential first step)
Level 2: Participate in company projects
Level 3: Take the lead on certain projects
Level 4: Influence future projects

Want to discover more?

If you would like to discuss these ideas further or get some professional insight into how you can introduce these ideas into your organisation please get in touch to request a complimentary, 45-minute consultation. We’d love to speak with you. Contact us to find out more.

 

Image credit

You might also like:

  • Only 40% of high performing staff are satisfied. Do they work for you?Only 40% of high performing staff are satisfied.…
  • No learning = No value = No futureNo learning = No value = No future
  • Why your managers don’t manage… and what you can do about itWhy your managers don’t manage… and what you can…
Share this page:

Filed Under: Employee engagement, People, Performance, Personal development

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Looking for something?

Do you like what you’re reading? Subscribe to get new articles

Our recent articles

  • 7 ways to boost revenue without advertising

    7 ways to boost revenue without advertising

    April 13, 2018
  • 7 reasons to first assess Gross Margin to improve profitability

    7 reasons to first assess Gross Margin to improve profitability

    February 5, 2018
  • What is smart revenue and how to find it for your business

    What is smart revenue and how to find it for your business

    November 22, 2017
  • How to avoid change sinking your business

    How to avoid change sinking your business

    September 21, 2017
  • Recruit the right staff using behavioural interview techniques

    Recruit the right staff using behavioural interview techniques

    July 4, 2017

Pages

  • What We Do
  • How We Do It
  • About Us
  • Insights
  • Training
  • Our Team
  • Contact Us

Our Recent Articles

  • 7 ways to boost revenue without advertising
  • What happens when you don’t provide professional development for your staff?
  • 7 reasons to first assess Gross Margin to improve profitability

About us

Pathfinder Advisors is a results-focused business management consultancy providing effective strategies, practical advice, ongoing hands-on support and affordable fixed fees. We stay focused on helping clients achieve their business potential.

Working across
Brisbane | Sydney | Melbourne

Free call in Australia 1800 57 00 36

Copyright © 2019 · Pathfinder Advisors · Tel: 1800 57 00 36 · Brisbane | Sydney | Melbourne

For expert help to grow your business visit www.pathfinderadvisors.com.au