Goodbye Groundhog Day. Hello Growth

Growth - according to >50% of you - it's very important to you at work. I see it throughout life both in and out of work. The desire to learn new skills, grow and develop is innate in us as people.

I mean, how many of you say about your work; “My goal is to do the same thing day after day for the rest of my life.” I'd argue no one; #groundhogday. And if people do, it's because they compare limited possibilities for growth at work with the remarkable journeys of personal growth they're on outside of work. Their journeys to become master chefs, DIY experts, dancers or musicians. Or perhaps learning a new sport or taking on a new language.?

Now don't get me wrong. I think all of these things are wonderful – and key to a full and fulfilling life. But wouldn't it be just as wonderful if our desire for growth and development was met at work. If we could scratch that itch in the place where we spend the majority of our adult waking hours. In a company where we're contributing significantly to the advancement of health and healthcare?

I fundamentally believe in making the growth of people a priority and hallmark of our system.

It shouldn't be that I go to work to earn a paycheck and I do something else to grow. Work should offer exciting challenges for people that allow them to grow and to exercise that truly human potential.

Here are some thoughts on how we can take down the barriers to growth at work:?

• Look beyond a title. Job titles can lock people into a narrow field of work. Mary the accountant. John the marketeer. Sure they might be great with numbers or motivating others, but they have a vast range of other skills, and interests, that make them great in other areas of work!
• Eliminate budgets and headcount hoarding. Rigid budget processes and annual cycles can lead to a whole host of dysfunction; the worst of which is trapping people into static roles that prevent movement of talent and potential for growth for fear of losing headcount in a team.
• Take out transparency barriers. In a system stifled by hierarchy and bureaucracy, people can lack a clear view of plans, expectations, progress, and results – for the enterprise and their areas of involvement.
• Up the improvement expectation. If we don't remind ourselves of people's innate ability to constantly learn, grow, improve, do things better, and deliver bigger impact tomorrow than today, we will create #groundhogday type work for people.