Too many talented individuals get overlooked when managers don’t view development as their responsibility.
Unfortunately, there’s a common misbelief that the best way to get talent is to go out and hire “winners.” Or perhaps you heard you need to “get the right people on the bus” and think you need to find them.
Truth is, most of the right people are right in front of you already. If you want “winners,” try defining ‘winner” as someone with the right values and with potential to grow into the job. The best way to get the right people on the bus is not to hire “winners,” but to develop them.
Peter Drucker is quoted as saying “culture eats strategy for breakfast.” If so, then culture snacks on talent before and after every meal. If you hire for skills, you have to hope there will be a culture fit. If you hire for values and potential, you can develop for skills.
Yes, it’s good to bring in some new people at times with fresh perspectives. But if you are dedicated to team development, everyone benefits.
- It’s less costly to develop talent internally than it is to recruit and onboard new people effectively.
- Developing talent internally is less risky than bringing in unknown, unproven outsiders because you already know there’s a culture fit.
- Morale is higher when people know they have an opportunity to learn and grow.
- Creativity, innovation, and the ability to adapt to change increases.
If your team isn’t growing, it’s your fault.
Leadership is about going somewhere, which means you need to know where you’re going and to keep focused on vision and strategy. But there are two faces of leadership. If you want people along the journey who can help you get there, then you need to keep one eye on where you’re going and the other on your team.
If you don’t see team development as a key leadership responsibility, you will lose many of your best people before you even notice them.
It’s your role as a manager to develop a team of “winners.” This is something that can be supported by HR, but cannot be handed off to HR. Team development is the responsibility of leadership. In fact, the strongest sign of a good manager is that the people who report to you are regularly promoted.
Jesse,
I am a new subscriber. I found you when looking for development materials for an internally developed leadership development program. I am very impressed with your depth of thought and how well you articulate topics. This article is a great reminder to leaders, myself included (maybe especially!), that the people you allegedly know – your staff have so much capability that we might not see. A leader’s responsibility is not only to achieve today, but prepare for tomorrow and beyond. Thanks for the reminder!
On point. When we look at our team with fresh eyes, we often find untapped potential. We have the capacity to grow and develop throughout our lives. Great to hear from you, Matt. And welcome to my blog!
I think a lot of managers give lip-service to development but don’t actively support it.
Managers need to keep asking questions like: where do you want to go, what do you need to develop, and how can I support you?
Martin Luther once said, “when you rest, you rust.” Everyone– from the leader on down– needs to constantly grow and learn. Not to be on the lookout for growing individual talent is a sure-fire key to disengagement and loss. Thanks, Jesse.
Appreciate your pointing out that managers need to be thinking about their own development as well. Thanks for your insights Eileen.
Team Development is indeed a key leadership responsibility.
Thank you for your power words on that.
In such a case, as mentioned – within this, the team leader has to take care of its own development.
Adding to that: … and specifically, to develop himself/herself as a Team Developer, which is an attitude and a skill beyond the role of basic Team Management.
Love the idea of transforming from team manager to team developer. Thanks for your insights Yoram.
Jesse,
Effective team leaders work both with the team and on the team.
Working With the team—team leaders work with team members in establishing goals, developing plans, problem solving, making decisions etc.
Working On their team—team leaders spend time coaching, mentoring and developing people.
Proper balance is needed. Some leaders spend too much time working “with the team” rather than “on the team.”
Good way to differentiate the types of work. Thanks for adding to the conversation, Paul.
Thanks for pointing out the morale boost from development within. It’s intangible but the difference high morale to both employees and customers, can be a “free” point of differentiation from competition.
And that morale boost has a bottom line impact, as you point out in terms of differentiation from competition and also the cost of development is less than the cost of turnover.
So many managers spend the majority of their time with Middle Stars and Falling Stars, they neglect their Superstars. They simply keep piling more work on them, because they know they can do it. This is a great post to remind us we need to be focusing more than we currently do when it comes to our best talent.
Good point, Bill! Thanks for your insights.
Hi Jesse
From my perspective talent development is a co-responsibilty between a leader and those who follow. As a leader I most assuredly have a duty to my staff, my organization, and to my personal integrity as a leader to identify and support staff in their professional development. he staff, in turn, have a duty to do their part via their performance, self-identification, and conversations to help me know their interests, needs, and opportunities for growth. Together we then look at their chosen path and come up with a plan to help them get there.
A good leader knows she will lose her good staff due to promotion internally or an external opportunity. That churn will create an
Other opportunity to develop someone else. That churn will alert staff to those leaders who genuinely care about them as people and not just about their work. That churn helps to build internal capacity. That churn is a way to ensure new and different views are heard and acted on.
I can not imagine leading a team and not losing people due to progressive development. If that was not happening I would need to look at who I am as a leader and how I was leading.
Good points, Khwezi. I would add that it is a shared responsibility, but each party has FULL responsibility, not half the responsibility. Managers must keep development front and center in their minds. Losing people due to ignoring them is different than losing them because they have grown and developed and moved on.
Your article goes to the heart of what I believe: there are “quietly brilliant” people in all organizations who are almost invisible to top leadership. Their skills may be recognized but their potential to contribute to innovation and to lead is not; they aren’t given help in developing, and they either wither way in their job or leave without quite articulating why they are leaving.
So important to recognize the “quietly brilliant.” They are the bedrock and, not only do they deserve to be recognized, but it is in the best interest of the organization to nurture and support them. Thanks for your contribution, Lynette.
Very powerful article. This style empowers your organization and without doubt increases loads of k.p.i.’s Whale Done! 😉
Thanks David. Appreciate your point that this style empowers your organization.
Great stuff as usual. “If your team isn’t growing it’s your fault” – strongly concur. Keep up the good work.
Thanks, Bret. Great to see you here.