How do you support your employees' growth and development?

All of us forget that employees are humans. They don't work for you because they have to, they work for you for their own desires, passion and they life they want to live. Since every individual is different, with different desires (personal), if you do understand their desires, how fast they wanna grow, what drives them, and especially what they want to achieve, you can then chalk out a plan for them. Once their personal and professional growth is guaranteed, not just their stay, but their loyalty is guaranteed too.

Supporting employees' growth is like guiding explorers in a vast ocean. Provide detailed career plans as their maps. Offer ongoing training and workshops to keep their ships seaworthy. Equip them with regular feedback and mentorship for navigation. Foster an environment that encourages exploration and risk-taking. Celebrate their achievements, big or small, to fuel motivation. With the right support, employees will navigate towards success, growing and developing with each journey. Encourage them to embrace challenges. Their growth fuels the organization's progress.

Create a culture of open communication. Instead of assuming what employees want or need, prioritize regular check-ins between managers and team members. Embrace feedback—both positive and negative—to continually improve and support your team effectively.

I think an underlying principle that is key to the success of this list is caring about the employees. Just doing this process to check it off won't be near as effective as truly caring for people. Caring about people involves empathy, listening, pro-activeness, and selflessness. When that is the underlying foundation of the relationship, this process can be a catalyst to engagement and positive employee experience. It is something that I am working on and have seen significant results in a short amount of time. It is also something that can you can change any time. If you ever wonder where to start, "How to Win Friends and Influence People" by Dale Carnegie is a great book and can provide the starting point you need.

Supporting employee growth and development starts with creating a culture of open communication. Regular check-ins and timely feedback are essential for guiding progress. Developing an environment of open communication is the first step in assisting staff members' growth and development. Counseling on progress requires quick feedback and regular check-ins. Add resources that support continuous learning and provide specialized coaching to assist staff in reaching their objectives. To create a welcoming and development-focused atmosphere, acknowledge achievements and link development initiatives with both personal goals and corporate objectives.

One of the best ways to truly support your employees' professional development is to regularly ask them what they are working on in the short term and long term. Folks often have short term goals that managers can help them achieve to build a path towards the bigger picture, longer term goals.

While supporting employees' growth and development, getting an idea about their requirements is important. What are your employees looking for? Are they looking to upskill or strengthen their capabilities? Every employee has their own goals and career aspirations to fulfil. As an employer, you need to step into their shoes and think about what can be the best fit. Note down all the ideas and present them in a PPT. Showcase what the employees should achieve by the end of the month. Create a gamification-driven culture where employees are given reward points for learning something new. As they climb the ladder of learning, there will be more opportunities to learn and earn more. These activities shall motivate them to learn more.

Support employees' growth and development by: Offering Training: Provide access to workshops, courses, and certifications. Mentoring: Pair employees with mentors for guidance and career advice. Setting Goals: Work with employees to set and track personal and professional goals. Providing Feedback: Give regular, constructive feedback to help them improve. Encouraging Networking: Facilitate opportunities for employees to connect with industry professionals. These steps foster a culture of continuous learning and career advancement.

Always keep your employees' learning goals top of mind. Sometimes you may be invited to a conference or event and can't make it. Instead of saying "no", ask if you can send a deputy and send a team member who can benefit from the experience from a professional development perspective.

Give them good and challenging projects that really do/can contribute to the success of the company. While the projects progress, check in with them often and provide additional opportunities for them to report/present to Senior Management.

Stretch assignments are a fantastic way for staff to learn when seeking to advance in their careers; however, the manager must give them room to make mistakes and correct actions without fear or retribution.

Providing a variety of learning tools, such as workshops, mentoring, or online courses, encourages continuous improvement. I have witnessed firsthand how employees' abilities and confidence can greatly increase when they have access to these tools and match them with their interests.

Leaders can make a big difference by cutting through unnecessary red tape and simplifying processes that slow people down. It is important to create a space where feedback flows both ways and team members feel comfortable discussing their challenges, concerns, and goals. Check-ins should go beyond tracking progress on tasks—they should aim to understand what drives each person and what might be holding them back. Giving them the chance to tackle new challenges, like working with other teams or taking on more responsibility, helps them learn in a hands-on way. Paired with leadership that’s supportive and trusts their abilities, this approach can lead to real, meaningful development—much more than just offering resources.

Next level: How can you help employees in identifying their own resources for learning. Yes, support and guide/coach them, but task them with finding those materials, researching, and get them thinking for themselves - particularly if they are passionate about a topic, they likely know as many (or in some cases more) opportunities as you do!

Ao preparar o feedback dos seus funcionários, mapeie as competências que eles precisam desenvolver e recomende cursos e treinamentos, ou que já tenha feito ou que conheça. Se sua empresa possui um especialista de RH peça apoio para construir um plano de desenvolvimento para a equipe. Ao ler um livro, recomende, ao se inscrever em seminários ou eventos, pense na equipe. Coloque-se sempre à disposição para ajudá-los.

One of the best ways for folks to stretch and get some seriously great recognition is by presenting at a breakout session at a conference. Here’s what an exploratory conversation could look like with a high potential to explore this: - What associations do you belong to? What industry conference is a must attend? - When is the call for speakers? - What project can you showcase? - How can we support you to represent the organization? It’s amazing PR for the organization too so there is literally no downside!

Create a mentorship program within the organization. Bringing together seasoned employees with newer team members fosters an environment of knowledge sharing and skill enhancement. Furthermore, consider providing training workshops, seminars, and online courses to empower employees in enhancing their knowledge and expertise within their specific areas. Offering access to resources like books, articles, and industry publications fosters an environment of continuous learning and growth for your team members. Investing in their development empowers your team to succeed and cultivates a culture of continuous learning and improvement within your organization.

Provide your team with a variety of opportunities and resources to support their growth and success. Offering development programs, leadership training, and skill-building workshops ensures they have the tools to enhance their skills and advance their careers.

Why not recognize effort, not just outcomes? We often miss the opportunity to acknowledge what will make the win more likely, keep motivation high, boost resiliency to work through the roadblocks, and build deeper connections along the way. People will work to prove you right if you reinforce progress, not perfection.

What gets appreciated gets repeated. If you wish employees to give their discretionary effort, from day-to-day work to professional development, acknowledge and show you value it. And don't wait until the next performance appraisal to honour it!

If you think you’re giving enough feedback, give more. There’s a tendency for feedback to be reserved for formal check-ins or significant pieces of work, but every interaction is an opportunity to provide constructive feedback to reinforce good performance and support development in the necessary areas. Normalising the provision of ongoing feedback as a usual component of supervisory interaction is a game changer for developing a learning culture and supercharging employee engagement.

Receiving regular constructive feedback is imperative to driving growth and personal development. And it is also a key part of delivering a great employee experience. Employees don't just want this, they are demanding it... I saw a PwC study that showed 60% of people wanted feedback on a daily or weekly basis (this increased to 72% for employees under age 30). But it's equally important that it is good quality feedback, and so line managers need help too, providing training to increase their confidence and competence to give feedback effectively. Lastly, making tools like 360 feedback openly available 'on demand' for everyone (not just senior leaders) can help people take control of their own development and seek feedback.

Funcionários gostam de ser notados. Iniciar uma conversa com algo positivo sobre ele gera confiança, sentimento de pertencimento. Convide o funcionário que fez uma boa entrega para um almoço, um café. Faça o mesmo com aquele que você precisa motivar. Seja um líder presente.

Establish regular one-on-one meetings with team members to discuss performance, aspirations, and growth opportunities. Share constructive feedback, celebrate achievements, and offer insights for skill enhancement. Acknowledge team accomplishments through meetings, emails, or social media. Foster a culture of open communication, encouraging collaboration and continuous improvement, fostering a positive work environment.

Absolutely this. Fantastic read on what motivates us in a book called Drive by Daniel Pink, stating 3 areas, "purpose, autonomy, mastery". If they know why they're doing something, can be set up to make their own decisions, they will master a topic because of the passion they have for a topic.

Uma estratégia que acho interessante e sempre uso é desafiar o funcionário com algo que ele não tenha muitas habilidades. Isso motiva a aprender e manter relacionamentos com quem tem.

Employee engagement increases when they sense a connection between their own growth and the company's objective. I ensure that their objectives are in line with the company's vision, which makes them feel more invested in the business's success.

This is a step where honesty and transparency are necessary. If an employee's desired goals and growth don't align with the organization's needs going forward, you must let them. Explain to them where the company is going and offer alternatives they could pursue that would align with the company's goals. This way employees won't feel held back by decisions and have agency over their decision of what to pursue.

At EMJ one of our values is Entire Buy-in. We want to support people in achieving their goals, and ultimately those goals should align with our vision and mission, otherwise we're not the right company for that individual. For example, we're elevating the quality of healthcare, which delivers better patient outcomes. If someone wants to turn smoking into an Olympic 'sport' (can you imagine!) that might be a great goal for them, but not aligned with us!

Supporting employee growth is important. It’s more than just retention—it’s about aligning personal passions with company goals. I suggest starting with open conversations to identify aspirations, followed by relevant training, mentorship, and most importantly, clear feedback. To me, clear is kind. Honest, timely feedback helps employees understand where they stand, what’s working, and where to improve. Listen to their input, which fosters trust and stronger communication. Encourage your team to take ownership of their development, with support when needed. In a small business, every role matters, so prioritizing continuous learning and clarity is essential for mutual growth.

Of all the ways to support your employees' growth, creating a culture of learning and feedback stands out as my favorite. While it may be the most complex approach, it's also the most effective. To break it down, it’s about seeking learning opportunities, inviting feedback, practicing active listening, and turning that feedback into meaningful actions. Remember, your team is watching—even if you’re unaware of it—so lead with the mindset that you’re the role model. Act with integrity, learn openly, and inspire through action.

Encouraging a continuous learning environment and open feedback helps sustain growth. I try to create an environment of continuous growth and support where learning is valued and criticism is seen as a chance for better.

It is critical to give staff the time to learn on the job. In my previous role, the workforce was in constant flux, and it was crucial to stay up-to-date on the job market and workplace trends. My staff were expected to spend 10% of their week in learning mode, and this was built into staff meetings through case studies and relevant industry articles.

I've worked at companies where there wasn't a culture for learning, and although I like to think of myself as self motivated and wanting to learn and grow, there is a huge difference between the amount of self-learning from that company and where I am now, where there is that culture. It's important to have like-minded people to breed this culture. Get that right and growth/development will skyrocket.

L&D is pivotal as it fundamentally depends on employees' perceptions and sentiments towards their organization, benefiting both the company and the employees. It’s deeply rooted in their daily experiences, Ex: policies, processes, management, tools, and especially what their superiors communicate about the organization. Have you ever observed a manager who dismisses the value of L&D? Their entire team often mirrors this attitude. Hence, it's crucial to foster a culture where leaders actively participate in and promote L&D initiatives. Organizations can support their employees' growth by offering personalized training programs, establishing mentorship opportunities, providing regular feedback, and encouraging a continuous learning mindset.

In the end, Creating a Learning "Opportunity" is everything. You can NOT expect them to Grow if you are flooding them with tasks.

Supporting employee growth and development can be effectively achieved through a combination of engagement tools, coaching, and consultancy. Implementing robust engagement tools, such as personalized learning platforms and regular feedback systems, helps employees set and achieve career goals. Coaching, whether through one-on-one sessions or group workshops, offers tailored guidance and skill development. Consultancy services, like those from Ennova, can provide strategic insights and customized training programs to align employee growth with organizational objectives. Together, these approaches foster a dynamic environment where employees are motivated, supported, and equipped to reach their full potential.

It’s important to focus on training programs, career pathways, and mentorship— AND slightly more important and the foundation of real growth goes deeper. It starts with taking care of the whole person. Employees can’t thrive if they’re running on empty, physically drained, or mentally exhausted. Development isn’t just about skills; it’s about creating an environment where people feel valued, energized, and supported—our teams don’t just perform better, they feel better. And when people feel better, they show up stronger, think clearer, and contribute in ways that go beyond. It also means providing opportunities for learning and health support, creating autonomy while fostering connection, and aligning growth with the company vision.