Career Coaching Cards Explained: How much time do I invest in my team’s development?

Giving your team the resources they need to reach their full potential

Suit: Supported by my Manager

This is a trick question because quite honestly, there is no golden rule. We could make up some bullshit formula of X days per month, but at Let’s Talk Talent, we don’t adhere to one-size-fits-all rigid frameworks. Gone are the days when you had a set budget per head to spend and an obligation to send staff on a two-day course once a year to tick the ‘training done’ box. Training can take many forms, and most of it is done on the job. So are we saying that managers can relax, sit back and not have to worry about developing their teams? Absolutely not. But there are ways to support people other than formal training. 

Managers can help  by giving employees stretching objectives and challenges, such as being asked to take part in new projects or working with other teams. So whilst many will focus on the formal side of training and the funding that may be needed, it’s important not to underestimate the informal training you can facilitate every single day by investing a little time to support your people, either through finding opportunities within the organisation for them to stretch their skills, or guiding  through more challenging situations. So you see, it’s hard to put a time target on ‘supporting your people’s development.’ 

However, some businesses do give it a go and offer staff one day a month for training. Whilst this is a great initiative and is slowly becoming a valued currency in the list of benefits offered by companies , it’s important not to stop there. Career progression should mostly be led by  individuals, of course, but a little support from managers and the organisation is needed. Getting to know your team members and their skill sets, spending some time setting stretching objectives for them and generating the kind of motivation that will get them keen to contribute more each day, that’s the kind of career development that counts the most. 

If you need help finding out who you’ve got on your bench and making sure your team has the right skills, attributes and behaviours to help your organisation reach its objectives, download our Succession Planning whitepaper here

And watch out for our series of blogs on coaching cards.

Career Coaching Cards: Explained

This is a new series of blog posts, that explain our Career Coaching cards in more depth.

Our deck of cards contain 52 questions that help guide better career conversations and connect more with the individuals you’re having these conversations with.

Each week we are releasing a question from our deck with a little more information about why we think this question is a good question and what you are looking to get out of it when you ask it.

Download our Succession Planning Whitepaper

Our Succession Planning whitepaper is for you if you want to know:

  • Identify your talent and skills shortage.
  • Identify the future leaders of your business.
  • Use data to proactively build your leadership bench strength.
  • Put in place robust processes to engage your future leaders.
  • Learn from other companies who have implemented succession planning programs and the impact it’s had.
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