The Three Best Ways a Manager Can Develop Their Talent

Developing your employees is highly beneficial for your company because it directly serves the interest of your business. It is one of the most important and rewarding responsibilities you have as a manager. We’ve compiled a list of our top three favorite ways to develop your talent.

3 Ways to Develop Talent

1. Make employee development a priority by helping your direct reports. Discover their passions, identify their work values, and expand their competencies. Challenge them with new experiences and help them improve their skills. Help them to understand the organization’s priorities and politics.
2. Create career strategies with your staff. Sit down with them to learn how they see their current situation and future path so you can help them create and implement a career strategy for themselves. Ask questions such as “What are you best at doing? What do you most like to do?” and “What do you wish you were better at? What talents do you have that you haven’t developed?” You’ll also need to understand what environments they need so they can thrive. Questions like “What sort of organizational culture brings out the best in you? What tweaks would make this organization a better fit? What aspects trouble you the most?” Find out their work values with questions such as “What are you most proud of in your work life? What regrets do you have about how you run your career?” Lastly, uncover what ambitions they already have for their development by asking things like “What are your short-term and long-term professional goals?”
3. Give stretch assignments. These give employees an opportunity to assume new responsibilities that will challenge current competencies and allow for growth. Choose a sponsor to co-sign your recommendation and prepare a pitch stating why you believe this person can succeed in the role, the experience you’ve had with them, and any risks the company assumes by the sponsor approving the assignment. Provide as much support as the employee needs to ensure they can shine in this assignment. Remember to check in with them regularly and to support their success.

Investing in the development of your employees is one of the best ways you can contribute to your organization’s success. When you make it a priority and personalize the development to each person, you’ll be able to help them grow and find their ideal fit inside the organization. Keep in mind the more they cultivate their strengths, the more stretch assignments they’ll need to continue growing.

Interested in learning about emering leaders? Curious about how leadership development can help your organization reach its full potential? Get in touch now.

Vayability is a leadership development platform built from the ground up to accelerate the development and business impact of emerging talent. Combining more than 20 years of executive learning, Vayability focuses on impactful leadership skills, personalized learning, live coaching, and measurable growth. Find out how top companies embrace success at vayability.net.

Written by Rachel Strysik