What do you do if your team members are not actively learning and developing their skills?

Concept of making oneself indispensable by monopolizing critical knowledge is outdated and counterproductive. Technologists must understand that with the relentless drive to enhance digital maturity in a market where supply outstrips demand, there is always someone out there who can perform their job just as well, if not better. As a leader, it’s crucial to encourage a culture of continuous learning and development, ensuring that your team remains competitive and innovative. This involves identifying and addressing any barriers to learning, providing resources and opportunities for skill enhancement, and fostering an environment where knowledge sharing and professional growth are valued and recognized.

I've found that a one-size-fits-all approach doesn't tend to work. Each team member has unique motivations and learning styles, and it's our job to tailor development opportunities accordingly. 1. Setting clear, achievable targets by defining what success looks like and breaking it down into attainable steps. 2. Not everyone learns the same way, so offering a variety of methods ensures everyone can find something that resonates. 3. Acknowledging achievements is powerful. It's not just about hitting targets; it's about celebrating the milestones along the way.

Thrust. For me, the fundamental point for any development and learning to occur in a team is to have an environment of trust. Building this environment of trust that encourages the exchange and conflict of ideas is fundamental to the development of resilience and innovation.

Assessing team members' learning needs involves individual discussions, skill gap analysis, and feedback collection to understand their aspirations and challenges. Reviewing performance goals and considering learning preferences and external factors are crucial. Identifying motivators and addressing barriers such as workload or resource constraints is essential. Personalized development plans tailored to each member's goals and timelines are created, followed by regular follow-up meetings for tracking progress and offering support. The process ensures alignment between individual aspirations, team objectives, and available resources, fostering a conducive environment for continuous learning and skill development within the team.

This is a common phenomenon if we hire less or unqualified people for certain positions that they are afraid to be exposed and stay far from learning and develop their skills, and usually try to extend their stay and remain unnoticed. Ofcourse the management likely hire them knowingly their capabilities and thus from the beginning explain the reason of selection to the new recruits and give them opportunity to develop within certain time frame. Appreciation on their improvement is must to keep them more encouraged to develop further. Providing sense of job security and at the same time push them for betterment must be followed by their managers. Also providing job satisfaction & better job environment are important to motivate team members.

Recognising the value of knowledge sharing creates a ripple effect of growth and innovation within an organisation. When individuals are encouraged to share their expertise and insights, it not only enriches the collective intelligence of the team but also nurtures a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement.

In a rapidly changing technology landscape where lifelong learning is crucial, technologists who do not actively seek knowledge and advancement risk becoming obsolete, especially in saturated markets. It is vital for managers to continually present challenges and create learning pathways for their teams. Likewise, technologists should proactively pursue their self-improvement to maintain their edge in this dynamic industry.

Honestly speaking, constant learning is a given in IT. Those who are not self-motivated and excited to learn new things do not belong in this field. It is idealistic to think we can "teach an old dog new tricks". In IT, it is more effective to replace the "old dog" with a new puppy that was born into the new tech and is free from old tech habits and mentality. I know this sounds cruel, but it is true. Let the old dog supervise, manage, advise, etc., but let the new puppy innovate and run with the new tech. After all, the majority of the new audience/customers will have the same contemporary thinking and attitude.