Training in-house employees and honing their talent for higher positions is crucial for the continuity and long-term success of any organization. This ensures a pipeline of capable individuals ready to step into key roles when needed, minimizing disruptions in operations.?
Over the years as a leader at E-Movers Group, I have had the wonderful opportunity to mentor several employees to take up managerial roles in various organizations. In this article, I highlight my philosophy and approach towards preparing employees to take up higher roles in an organization.?
- In the context of developing talent, the adage "Don’t give fish, teach them to fish" is a powerful method that iterates the importance of training employees to fend for themselves and resolve problems on their own. This analogy emphasizes equipping them with the right skills, knowledge, and a can-do mindset so that they are prepared to tackle challenges independently and grow professionally.?
- A simple yet effective tool every manager can practice is to instruct team members to come up with at least three solutions for a problem at hand. This inculcates the habit of thinking before speaking or simply barging into the manager’s cabin. Helping them find their solutions is the best training technique leaders can use to channel the team’s energy. Also adopting a proactive approach to problem solving is a great practice in the workplace.?
- Further, meetings and brainstorming sessions can make teams think about tricky situations and generate ideas to improve them. The manager is then left to choose the most viable option from the list. Also, as the ideas or solutions have come from the team itself, the rate of ownership and implementation will be much faster and more efficient.?
- Another technique to nurture leadership skills and capabilities is to accompany the designated employee in all meetings to observe how things are done. While driving back you can ask him/her to do a debriefing or review of the meeting to ensure real learning has happened. As time goes by, encourage the same person to take charge of meetings, limiting the role of the current manager to a passive observer who can offer constructive feedback at the end of the session.?
- Attending training programmes and workshops can also help new managers develop essential leadership skills such as communication, task management, motivation, decision-making, and conflict resolution. Encouraging them to participate in seminars and conferences will boost their confidence to interact with people from all walks of life and expose them to different methods and philosophies of getting jobs done.?
- Running an in-house weekly/monthly book club where each member learns a new chapter and orients other members on key points is a good way to initiate group learning. Appreciating novel perspectives and learning from one another is a much-needed team-building skill.?
- I also firmly believe mentoring or coaching can tremendously help in the growth of people. Learning from challenges and mistakes faced by experienced seniors will reduce their chances of committing the same. Also shifting team members from one role to another can best identify the ideal seat or position an individual can handle.??
- Lastly, as learning has no finishing line, pledging to be a lifelong learner is a surefire way to grow both personally and professionally. Also, those who refuse to go up the learning curve will need to be slowly taken out of the system, if not they can pull the rest down.?
I hope my approaches to nurturing talent within will certainly be useful to you. Should you have other interesting techniques to develop employees, I would be keen to know and implement them.
