How to support personal and professional development?

Talent - this is how a high-potential employee is often described. Companies are constantly looking for such people. In order to know how to attract talent to your company and, more importantly, make them stay there, you need to bet on the continuous development of the company and the people in it. By learning about the expectations, strengths and aspirations of each employee, a good leader will be able to connect them to the future needs of the organization. Even if the recruitment process has taken care to hire perfectly educated candidates, the knowledge of employees and their competencies must be constantly developed.

Four stages of employee development have been enumerated - it is worth being aware of them in order to adjust the type of motivation, as well as to create the right development path for them. It may seem that in the age of ubiquitous remote work, the issue of continuous development is difficult to arrange. Fortunately, thanks to technology, this development doesn't have to go down the drain, and employers can constantly ensure the improvement of their employees.

Stage one - the enthusiastic rookie

An employee at the first stage is referred to as an enthusiastic rookie.

When a new person joins the team he or she has plenty of energy and is motivated to act. At the same time, due to her very short tenure at the company, her competence is limited. Support from the supervisor is extremely important at this time. It is important to give clear instructions, on a par with feedback or constructive criticism. Such clear guidelines, which will include data and expectations, will make the newcomer's task easier and save stress - this can therefore positively affect his performance at work as well as his development.

What's involved in all this? Direct and constant contact between the supervisor and the new employee. In a remote form, we can take care of a good relationship through phone calls, exchanges of emails. If we care about employee development, it's also worth using the Heuresis SmartManager work and development monitoring system-which, thanks to a clear division of responsibilities, will give the employee a sense of stability, and the supervisor will be able to monitor the work and progress of the newly hired person on an ongoing basis.

The next stage - a disillusioned adept

After a large dose of enthusiasm, there may come a moment of doubt caused by failures or difficulties at work. At this stage, employees are referred to as disillusioned adepts. This discouragement often leads to the decision to leave the company. This is the moment when the supervisor must act and help the employee get through moments of weakness. In this case, too, contact and information flow are essential. It is through conversation that managers notice a drop in motivation or discouragement and can help such a person regain motivation to work.

What other steps can a supervisor take? The suggestion to use e-learning can be very beneficial. The employee does not have to leave home to get training and improve his way of working. In addition, he will appreciate the involvement of his supervisor - so it is worth having such an educational "ace up his sleeve". You can learn about what can help you create e-learning here.

The next stage - specialist

An employee at the next stage of development can already be called a specialist. Such a person has already had a long tenure in the company, and his competence is at a high level - he has already gained a lot of knowledge and experience. However - paradoxically - it may still seem to him that he knows little. The actual level of skills is often diluted by a lack of confidence in them. When this confidence is inadequate to the competence, motivation is not very high. This stage is difficult for both the employee, whose performance depends on the (fluctuating) level of motivation on any given day, and the leader. This is because it is not known whether such an employee can always be counted on. In this case, the first thing to do is, again, to put on a frank conversation - this time face to face. When the work has been transferred to the home, it is worth betting on a conversation via Skype, or another browser-based program such as Meet or Zoom. This coaching conversation should strengthen his confidence in his abilities, as well as convince him that he can find answers to his doubts and nagging questions on his own. And if you're wondering about the advantages of using imagery during such conversations, take a look here.

The next step a supervisor should take is to delegate more tasks to such a doubting employee, thereby increasing his decision-making power. The employee at this stage is supposed to feel that he is important in the team, he is supposed to feel supported, and with new and more engaging tasks he will feel that he is developing.

The last stage - the expert

In the last stage you will meet experts. People who have knowledge, experience and motivation at an equally high level. Such a person already knows what to do and how to do it, and all he needs is the trust of his supervisor.

At this stage, the leader should offer the experts certification. This will allow such an expert to easily confirm his skills and organize his existing knowledge. In addition, the certification will allow him to develop himself, to learn new stages of initiation in a particular industry.

Moreover, it will prevent so-called professional burnout. New challenges, new areas to learn can further increase the level of motivation.

The training market is up to date with the new needs of its customers. Therefore, certification can run smoothly from home.

Regardless of what stage of development your employee is at, it is always a good idea to motivate them to increase their knowledge and apply it in practice. It is in the duties of a good leader to motivate and nurture development.