How do I create a personal employee development plan?
/
With Covid-19 still generating so much uncertainty around the economy and, as a consequence, the response by businesses most affected by it, it seems strange to be talking about personal development plans.
But while some organisations have sadly become casualties of the global pandemic, others continue to plan for the future and, hopefully, for growth over the months and years to come – and how you nurture your existing talent is a vital factor in all of that.
Those of us working in HR and learning know from experience that the happiest and most productive (and therefore usually the most profitable) companies are those where the employees feel valued, believe they have career growth opportunities and see real investment in their development.
This culture, which helps to form the backbone of companies that perform well against a variety of benchmarks, does not happen by accident or coincidence. It is the product of planning and a clear and demonstrable commitment to invest in people above all else.
Savvy business leaders inherently understand the power of people who are valued for what they contribute now and what they have the potential to contribute in the future.
They instinctively know that often the benefits of this commitment to learning, development and reward, whilst obvious in the bottom line, are often manifested in the sometimes intangible behaviours that make up workplace culture.
These are as simple as the goodwill needed to go above and beyond when it counts, to champion the employer inside and outside the building and to share both responsibility and future goals.
In the choppy waters of talent retention, our old friend the personal development plan is invaluable – as long as your commitment to it as a leader, manager or HR professional is genuine.
I say this because all too often personal development becomes that once-a-year thorn in a manager’s calendar – the chore that needs to be completed as quickly as possible, box ticked with employee sign-off so the manager can get on with ‘more important’ things (ironically missing the point that the appraisal process and development plan is one of the more important things).
And mentioning appraisals at this point is also important because any personal development plan worth the name can’t be created for an employee until you’ve done one.
This seasonal process – sometimes also known as performance review or personal development review (PDR) – is so much more than simply telling an individual whether they’ve done a good or bad job and running through a list of off-the-shelf training courses to send them on.
So, what does a good personal development plan (PDP) look like?
Value the conversation
Before either you or an employee reach any conclusions about how the year just gone has been or what the year ahead looks like, take the time to really talk to them.
This is your opportunity not only to find out what they think about their own performance, but also for them to let you know how you’ve done as a manager. Remember that what you learn from each of the people who report to you is important to your own development.
But while this is a time to celebrate achievements, it’s also a time to look at areas where improvements can be made. Sometimes these will point to a training need – more on that in a moment – and sometimes they’ll signify poor performance.
When it comes to poor performance, it’s really important to keep an open mind about the root causes of it. Is the employee unhappy and therefore unmotivated? If so, why – and what can you do to support them to behave differently?
If poor performance needs to be addressed in a more formal way, then it’s important to make sure this is also addressed during the conversation and recorded in the appraisal document – together with the actions you’ve identified and agreed together.
Assess potential
As managers, it’s sometimes easy to simply pigeonhole an employee: that’s Dave and he’s an accounts clerk. But maybe Dave has dreams to be something more – or maybe you can see something more in Dave that he can’t yet see himself.
What skills or knowledge does that individual need in order to fulfil his or her full potential? More importantly, what do you need to do to ensure he or she gets the training they need to be the best they can?
Listen
Listening – really, properly listening – is a learned skill (maybe put this on your own development wish list!) and it can pay handsomely. By listening, you can use the appraisal process to audit the existing skills within your team or organisation, working out where you have skills gaps and where you have knowledge and ability you haven’t necessarily reflected in your future strategy.
It’s also the best way to get a snapshot of team or organisational morale – so pay attention to what you hear.
And all of this applies equally to the employee. The most successful people in any workforce are those who recognise they also have the power to take responsibility for their own development and don’t rely on their employee to always come up with the answers.
Before any conversation about a PDP, and regardless of which side of the desk you’re going to be sitting, do some prep. Think about what you want from the conversation.
If you do that, and follow the key steps listed above, you should get real value out of the process.
Ultimately, a good PDP covers four main areas (and if you are the employee, make the following list introspective and turn the questions on their head):
Where is the employee now? What are they good at, where are the gaps, what support do they need, is there anything stopping them from progressing?
Where does the employee want to be? What’s their ambition, do the opportunities exist for them to achieve it, how will you support them, what should their short term goals be?
How will the employee achieve their goals? What training is needed, what opportunities can be created, what do they need to do to make that step?
How are they doing? What has worked, what hasn’t worked, where do they need to improve, what do they need to keep doing?
If you can put all of these things into practice, you’ll be doing more than a good PDP – you’ll be nurturing the talent that can drive your whole business forward.
If you’d like to know more about how Constantia Consulting can support you and your business to maximise your investment in your employees, please get in touch for a no-obligation, informal chat.
