How can you develop your employees for the future of work?

Shaping a future-ready team means going beyond the basics: - Prioritize continuous learning. - Promote teamwork across different functions. - Provide upskilling opportunities. - Foster a culture that values feedback. Inspired by Branson, I aim to create a workplace where people grow and want to stay. If you're on a similar journey, I'd love to hear your strategies. Together, we can ensure our teams are not just surviving but thriving in the future workplace. #TeamGrowth #FutureReady #LeadershipImpact #WorkplaceCulture

I think this article is missing a key step. Scan the external environment, and consider your orgs 10, 5, and 1 year strategy. It is not about where you are now and closing gaps, it is about where you want to be. Where is your industry headed? What trends and headwinds do you face? How does tech and AI play into the equation. Once you chart a course, then you can start assessing the gaps.

Assessing the gaps in employees' current skills and competencies is a crucial step in preparing them for the future of work. Identifying areas where their expertise may fall short in the context of emerging industry trends and technological advancements allows for targeted skill development. Moreover, acknowledging individual aspirations and aligning developmental opportunities with organizational goals can foster a sense of purpose and motivation among employees, facilitating their seamless transition into the evolving landscape of work.

Preparing employees for the uncertain future of work starts with self-awareness. Encourage your team to take an active role in their growth by self-assessing their skills and identifying gaps. Self-awareness is the compass that guides one's development journey. It enables employees to recognize their strengths and areas for improvement. By fostering this self-awareness, you're not only addressing current skill gaps but also equipping your team with the ability to adapt and thrive in the face of the unknown.

Yes assessing the gap is crucial and it has limitations unless your company is great at crystal ball predictions.... yes there are trends and "obvious" competences and attitudes that are needed but these need to be reviewed regularly and intrinsically linked to the current and future strategy of the business. Knowing where you are is helpful and yet this will always be a snapshot... Asking employees their views also incorporates the collective intelligence rather than leaving it to eg HR to "find the golden answer"

Providing employees with diverse options for skill development and career progression is essential for preparing them for the future of work. Offering a range of training programs, mentorship opportunities, and cross-functional projects enables employees to explore different avenues for growth and learning. Moreover, tailoring these options to accommodate various learning styles and preferences fosters a culture of inclusivity and promotes a sense of autonomy and empowerment among employees, facilitating their holistic development and adaptability.

Offering diverse learning options is a fantastic approach to cater to individual preferences and styles. It's not only about addressing skill gaps but also enhancing strengths. Encourage employees to search for the area they want to take on a course, that helps employees not only fill gaps but also become more versatile and innovative in their roles.

Definitely diverse options, format, duration, style and level... also embrace the differences appropriate for the generations in your organisation, the culture and values of your company and capitalise on outside business / cross sector / not for profit collaborations to support deeper development and learning to benefit all

An example I have had success with is fostering space for communities of practice. When peers get to partner to attack a problem or improve on practice, they are highly engaged. And leaders must ensure the team gets quality time for this meaningful learning. This also requires a commitment to agreed upon norms and goals for a desired outcome. I have experienced the beauty of seeing my team’s creativity and innovation emerge which led to amazing outcomes for our students. Our best learning comes when we have autonomy to explore and access to a format that engages us to be our best learner.

Aligning skill development initiatives with employees' career paths is crucial for preparing them for the future of work. Mapping out clear progression routes and offering training opportunities that directly contribute to their professional growth fosters a sense of purpose and direction. By integrating individual aspirations with organizational objectives, employees are more likely to remain motivated and engaged, leading to a workforce that is well-equipped and enthusiastic about tackling the challenges of an evolving work landscape.

Yes and to be strategic in the overall trends in employment... Embrace the evolution of career progression and development and have a clear strategy about talent development, retention, redeployment and turnover... ask and answer the questions about if your company has a "short-term" job focus or a "long-term" career focus - the plans will vary depending on what strategy fits with your organisation

Providing continuous support and coaching to employees is vital in preparing them for the future of work. Offering mentorship programs, regular feedback sessions, and skill-building workshops creates a nurturing environment that promotes continuous learning and development. Additionally, tailoring coaching approaches to accommodate diverse learning styles and individual needs fosters a culture of inclusivity and empowers employees to navigate the challenges of the evolving work landscape with confidence and resilience.

Coaching, mentoring and collective learning is super powerful to embed a learning culture in organisations. It can be formal or informal and not dependent of hierarchy - some of thr best coaching / mentoring I've seen is 2-way... eg senior manager provides mentoring to a newer recruit of how to succeed in that corporate environment and younger employee supports them with newer technologies that they've potentially grown up with

As a coach, I use open ended questions to support member’s thinking. What excites you about this? What is getting in the way of your success? What would you tell a friend in this situation? How can I support you? When the member has space to explore their thinking, they gain clarity on what to try. And then planning bite size action for the week to commit to trying becomes the lever to learning. I also like to celebrate small wins along the way to highlight what they are learning or doing differently now. That recognition helps them keep moving forward even when its scary.

Help employees figure out their strengths and create a path for them to transition into a role where they can truly thrive and excel. May be your software engineer is even better at customer support or may be that girl in hr seems to have potential to become a great project manager Evaluating their best skills and creating a path for them can help take your employees way ahead in the game ensuring maximum job satisfaction and retention

Evaluating the effectiveness of skill development initiatives and adjusting them as needed is essential for preparing employees for the future of work. Regularly assessing the impact of training programs, monitoring skill enhancement, and seeking employee feedback helps in identifying areas for improvement and adaptation. By fostering a culture of continuous improvement and flexibility, organizations can ensure that their employees remain equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to thrive in an ever-evolving work environment.

Real data and feedback on what has actually changed of a result of the training, development... on a real-life day to day basis is the real measure of if the development is effective... and yes, adjust accordingly if there are trends emerging / improvements to be made. "Keep, improve, stop, start" is a useful framework I've found to evaluate what to do going forwards

Learning new skills can be intimidating, but doing it together can help! Approach new topics and trends as a team. By sharing resources and doing simple tests you can encourage your team to get creative. Consider joining a webinar as a team and coming together after to share key take aways and how you might apply them to your own work. This is just one of MANY ways you can make learning a part of your culture and keep your teams skills current.

Ensuring that the environment is rich for learning goes beyond the obvious - ensure time is allocated to support learning, learning / growing / experiencing new ideas and thought provoking conversations in a variety of settings - challenge the "group" think approach - ensure alternative perspectives are encouraged and pursued. Growth mindset and ensure that everyone understands that learning is not done only in training/ courses.... learning to reflect, project, experiment and grow

?? Future-Proofing Your Team: The Power of Adaptability ?? ?? The Marathoner's Lesson: Imagine training a sprinter for a marathon – it's about endurance, not just speed. Similarly, fostering adaptability in your team isn't just about immediate skills; it's about cultivating the mindset to evolve continuously. ?? Planting the Seed of Adaptability: Encourage "controlled discomfort." Introduce calculated challenges that nudge employees out of their comfort zones. It's these discomforts that spark growth and adaptability. ?? The Takeaway: Embrace discomfort as a catalyst for growth. By cultivating a culture that embraces challenges, you're nurturing individuals who thrive in uncertainty, mastering the skills of tomorrow, today.

Maybe by investing in your employees skills and fostering a culture of continuous learning and growth. Conducting future paced sessions can help them think about potential future challenges and opportunities, this can spark creativity and forward thinking too!

If its to be sustainable, appreciated and valued, an ongoing learning / growth / evolution mindset needs to be in place. Its not a quick fix but a durable endeavour looking externally into competitors, macro trends and society changes to predict and prepare foe the future. Collaboration with educational institutions is useful to ensure future talent if specific needs are identified which do not currently exist. Working in partnership with universities on specific projects and research studies was a key part of Airbus' talent pipeline development