What do you do if your team members are seeking career growth and advancement in IT?

I start by asking what they find to be the best part of the job they have. What excites and motivates them? What are they curious about? When have they put in long hours and not given it a second thought because they were so engrossed and passionate about the task and the work?

To help my team advance their IT careers, whether the motivation is personal ambition or encouragement from leadership, the most valuable support they can receive is a hands-on opportunity to develop and showcase their skills. This could be achieved through giving someone ownership of a smaller, lower risk project or by allowing him or her to take charge of part of the scope of a larger initiative. Formal education and training are always an option but the real value for the individual is when the theory is put into practice in a real life setting. This equips the individual with the background and knowledge to then be able to pursue new opportunities as they come up in their path.

It is difficult to clearly understand what exactly you want to achieve when you say you want career growth and advancement. Often, there is a lack of clarity especially when you make progress in your career for a few years and then looking for a career growth/transition or advancement. So the first thing I will be doing will be to connect with my team member with a positive intent and get them talking about what they really want, what they envision as future growth, what challenges they foresee? I will help them introspect if they have any limiting beliefs. I will try to challenge their assumptions, excuses & limiting beliefs so that they can think beyond their comfort zone and gain clarity about their goals and confidence to think forward.

There are many areas in IT for one to pick and excel in. Therefore, help them understand where their strengths are, the current skills and what they want to go into. Work with them to identify gaps and how to fill them. However, attending a course and getting certification can bring one that much - help them to find opportunities to build what they have and the new skills. And have a regular check-ins and discussions to gauge their progress, and which areas they need to work further, and be a mentor for them.

I would support my team members by providing opportunities for professional development, such as training programs, certifications, and mentorship. Additionally, I would encourage them to take on challenging projects, provide constructive feedback, and advocate for their advancement within the organization. Collaboratively, we would identify their career goals and create a roadmap for achieving them, ensuring alignment with the team's objectives and the organization's needs.

Give them platform and responsibilities that can help evolve to next level . Play the role of mentor and help them navigate organisational complexities as and when that happens . Let them make mistakes and learn from same . Show trust and confidence in their abilities to move forward

Team members seeking career growth is always a good sign in the team. This clearly reflects a good working culture in the team where people are given opportunities of growth. We also encourage the member to mentor junior and other members so that every one in the team will have options of growth. Taking different roles within the team.

Great mentors and coaches are a tremendous asset in your career development. I’ve found most people are willing to help and share their knowledge and expertise, you just have to ask. Building a culture of collaboration enables information exchange is helpful, but focused coaching or a mentor is a must have for long term career development. So don’t be afraid to ask someone if they would be willing to give you advice and be a mentor if you believe you can learn from them.

Not just mentoring: Co-mentoring! Take turns. Be open to what you can teach, not just learn (and vice versa). If someone asks you to mentor them, ask how you can prove you were the right choice, and then tell them what you might learn from them! We all have something to learn from each other, and we all have some experience to share. I believe the idea of mentoring as a one-way passing of knowledge or showing of the way is patriarchal at best. Leverage and celebrate diversity! If you mentor each other, you co-create belonging and safety, and therefore opportunities to learn where and how you can each have an impact. You can help each other see different choices. My co-mentor is two levels higher in pay band and 15 years younger than me.

Mentoring helps mentor as well as mentee. While mentee gains vital insights about the skill or process, mentor benefits with a helping hand for the tasks in hand. Mentoring is vital in building strong relationship between team members. This results in job satisfaction in my view.

While mentoring and delegating tasks prove to be effective way to provide career path for an individual, the manager needs to keep close eye on any sign of red flags and provide assistance for course correction. Once things get on track, practitioner can take charge and deliver. One way to find out these flags early for the manager is to have checkpoint meetings or regular one on one with set agenda.

Focus on the individual over the interests of the organisation if you cannot reconcile both. You may not want to lose the team member, but as a leader you should be 1) empathetic to their needs, and 2) fully transparent about the opportunities that you, and the organisation, can offer at any given time. I have welcomed many people back to the organisation that they have left. Always, with enhanced skills, knowledge, and an altered outlook.

Acknowledge and reward achievements and milestones in your team members' career paths. Recognition can come in many forms, from formal awards and promotions to informal acknowledgments in team meetings. Celebrating successes not only motivates the individual but also inspires others in the team.

Celebrating even small achievement can boost moral many fold. A simple shout out in large gathering is effective way to acknowledge the success achieved by person.

Encouragement , pure and simple If they have a career path in mind , encouragement will either get them to stay , or .. they'll fly in a different environment. In the end its about people and what they want to do ... and who knows, maybe they'll come back ... as your boss ( true story ..)

Seek assistance from HR to understand company's policies and how to proceed according for the growth/career plan, there are inumerous approach items could be used such as 9Box, Performance evaluation with Individual and professional KPIs and internal career & opportunity based on skills development. Additionally always be aware that may everyone seek to have a continuous growth however not everyone at corporate level can summit the everest and reach the desired role/salary, thus always assure you have the strongest ones and the ones you rely the most well mapped for usually they impact the overall delivery in case they leave the company or decrease their performances due to lack of company support and should be protected in advance.

Have open conversations to understand their goals, identify strengths and gaps, and create a tailored growth plan. Provide training, development, and networking opportunities. Foster a learning culture, offer challenging projects, and celebrate achievements. Regularly check-in and adjust the plan as needed. Show that continuous learning and development are valued in your team. Supporting career growth and advancement leads to engaged, retained, and successful team members! ??

3 simple things, that require some effort to deliver: 1. Set expectations - don't over sell, make sure you offer what is in your power to execute, then do it. 2. Understand their personal motivations and the importance they attach to them. 3. Let them breathe - agree a path that they can get excited about

When IT skills competencies are divorced from business skills and competencies, IT teams create solutions that serve IT and not business, clients or society. Career growth in IT requires ‘a tour of duty’ in the business of your business so that solutions are designed and built with empathy for humanity.