How can leaders get their team(s) to work on personal development?
Sort by:
"get" is the key word for me. I think you make the opportunities available, lead by example, and those who are interested will take what you provide.
Same as any other activity - prioitize it, allow time for it, and reward it.
Saying "make sure you work on personal development" and then loading them with 80 hours of other work to be done in a 40 hour week is a common but ineffective pattern
We have set in our strategic planning a target structure with positions and levels clearly outlined for the department and created individual development plans for each employee to align to that vision 3 years from now. This is a tangible and attainable structure that requires both structured and unstructured personal development.
Teams respond well to this as they have a better idea of a) the vision for the department and their place in it. While there are caveats around our planning a desire to reach a staggered development goal for everyone has been effective.
We always set development goals each year. I ensure we set some goals that can be achieved in the event all funding for training and development is reduced or cut completely. Things like learning some aspect of technology and teaching the rest of the team (learning thru reading or vendor seminars) A key for us is how to do development for zero cash outlay, as you cannot count on the training budget to be there.... it has disappeared in the past, and will again I am sure. Set the development goals in their official HR goal plan, and then work with the employee to get started on them right away. Development for the year should not be starting in November or December. If it does, your development as a leader needs to be top priority.
Being in a technical environment, it is imperative that the skill set is adequate for the competence required. Through continuos learning and writing necessary exams should form part of the yearly tasks for one to remain relevant in ICT. Having one on ones with each employee helps to have a conversation that touches on the aspirations and use it to guide on what will take them to their preffered destination.