Professional Development: Where Can I Get the Most Return on My Investment

Personal and professional development is essential to the growth of your business, but it can be difficult to determine what should be prioritized for employee development. It's often difficult to justify the financial expense that goes into developing employees, so it helps to understand why you should invest in growth.

Here are three reasons why your organization should be focusing on personal and professional growth:

1. You'll Obtain Better Talent

A strong learning culture led to 30-50% high retention rates in companies. (Robert Half)

Employee development is an investment in future growth for your business. Having an employee who is constantly learning and growing will provide a more valuable contribution to your company than a seasoned worker who remains stagnant. By investing in growth, you will attract higher-quality talent because prospective employees will realize the importance of growth within your business model. This high-quality workforce can make a big difference in company culture and production value going forward, which leads us to...

2. You'll Have A More Inclusive Workplace Culture

43% of surveyed employees claim corporate culture was the main reason for their search for a new job. (Hays)

Culture is formed when behaviors are done over and over again by a group. When you are intentionally and deliberately investing in your team's development, you signal that they are important, necessary, and integral. As your team grows, those investments pay out dividends by creating an inclusive culture for all employees. As your employees continue to grow, the organization should grow along with them, creating a workplace culture that fosters innovation, collaboration, and future vision.

3. Your Customers Will Feel The Positive Effects

As the work environment nurtures employees, customers will also feel the positive pacts with higher quality products and services that speak directly to their needs. When employees have more opportunities to sharpen their skills and abilities, they are more likely to apply those insights and efficiencies into their daily work. The growth of your workforce will directly correlate to the growth of your business as long as you are providing development tools for each employee along the way! Remember that these benefits are only attainable if you provide growth opportunities for your employees.

Here are four growth opportunities that can help you invest in your team's professional development:

1. On-Demand Learning Platforms

There are numerous online learning platforms that provide cost-effective tools to develop individual skill sets such as Udemy, Skillshare, and Coursera. Let's say you have an employee who wants to perfect their project management skills. Imagine if that employee communicated it with their manager and there was a free-to-the-employee option provided by the organization and allocated time within the workday to research options and learn.

If you don't make the time for your employees to learn and grow, they will start looking for other organizations that support their development.

2. Books / ERGs / Seminars

Encourage growth by giving each employee assigned books/tasks/seminars relevant to their skill set every month. Create and support learning pods and study groups Doing so isn't costly and encourages growth, creating a cohesive workplace culture throughout your organization. Switch it up by alternating who leads the group each month and don't forget to reward the efforts of the group with more public recognition upon completion. Many larger firms have ERGs (Employee Resource Groups) that are employee-run and company-supported. There's no reason why the size of the company should matter if the intention is the same - to support, educate and empower engaged employees!

3. Networking Opportunities

Networking opportunities allow your employees to learn from their peers within your organization, industry, and beyond. The pandemic has made it tricky to meet face-to-face, but with some intentional and deliberate introductions, employees are better able to expand their networks and share experiences with other growth-oriented professionals. Associations and professional networking groups are great for employees who want to put themselves out there. LunchClub is also a great free option to connect with specific industries and interests. You also have a Roladex of contacts that with some curious questions, you could better able match with inquisitive team members.

4. Group and Individual Coaching

We are definitely biased by the power of coaching. Employees at one of our longest-standing global clients rate coaching as the top employee benefit at the company. Coaching works on a deeper level to unlock the unique talents, experiences, and expertise of each employee to build confidence, expand leadership presence and problem solve in a crisis.

According to the International Coaching Federation (ICF), 80% of people who receive coaching report increased self-confidence, and over 70% improved work performance, relationships, and more effective communication skills.

Coaching is definitely a financial investment for the organization, but the numbers don't lie. In multiple studies, The International Coach Federation (ICF) has shown that coaching usually generates an ROI of between $4 and $8 for every dollar invested.

Investments in employee growth should not be limited to those in leadership positions; rather, all employees across the company should be encouraged to participate in learning opportunities through ongoing personal and professional development training or by taking advantage of growth opportunities associated with company goals and initiatives.

When it comes down to it, growth has multiple benefits. It is not just important for your employees but is also crucial for your business' success! Grow your team today with personal and professional development growth strategies!

Contact us today to design your team’s Professional Development Strategy.

5 Things You Can Do Right Now to Be a Better People Manager

It doesn't matter if you have the title.

It doesn't matter if you have assumed the role.

You have the opportunity to be a better leader in every moment of interaction. 

What is a leader?

A leader is a person who has influence. 

A leader is someone who shifts the energy of the group.

Guess what, the leader can affect the group, and the group can affect the individual. 

Now that can be in good ways. You can have inspiration and motivation and all those creative vibes.

Or it can draw the energy down. 

Have you ever been in a meeting, and someone yucks on your yum? 

Here's how we can positively influence a group. 

Number one, check yourself before you wreck yourself. 

Meaning before you step into a meeting, do a nice little body scan. 

Are you holding on to stress? Do you have any resentment? Are you full of bias? 

If you're not clear, get a piece of paper. What are you bringing in? 

Have you just had an argument with someone? Did you read a frustrating email? Are you worried about how to make a decision? 

Get it out of your head. 

Number two, what are your intentions in meeting with people? 

Do you want to learn things? Do you want to get clarification? Do you want to brainstorm an idea share? Do you want to alter behaviors? 

If you aren't clear, you're coming in with assumptions.

If you don't have an agenda for your meeting, go ahead and do that. 

What are one, two, or three things that you want to accomplish in this interaction? 

This is going to help you create a framework and an outline of how you move things forward. 

I want you to think about how do you want to feel at the end of the interaction. 

So as you're clicking out of your Zoom Room, as you are exiting your email exchange, as you're ending a phone call, how do you want to feel? 

I want to feel at peace. 

I want to feel like this person and I have some trust built. We're coming together. We have trust, yay. 

But if you're not clear about how you want to feel, this is an opportunity to further define that. That's right, we're going to get more specific because once we know where our target is, we can reverse engineer it. 

I'm not gonna do the Roger Rabbit because I have neighbors below me. 

Here is the sprinkle sauce. I want you to take yourself out of it. 

It ain't about you.

Advice, I could do a whole series on advice-giving. 

Stop it! Please stop giving advice. 

It's like leaving a flaming bag of dog poo at someone's door, and they'd be like pika to prison is nice. It's the worst! 

If it is unsolicited, people didn't ask for it. And therefore, it's not going to be received as a gift. 

It's going to be received as a judgment, as a comparison, as criticism. 

You know you've gotten it before. 

So can we please stop? Thank you. 

We're not giving advice. We are not laying our stuff and our story and our assumptions on other people. 

What we're doing is creating space for other people to step in, meet us where they are, have inclusivity, and allow people to emerge as themselves. 

What we're going to do is be curious. We're going to ask good questions we're going to clarify. 

"So what I'm hearing you say is..." 

"Tell me more about this..." 

"So we've done this before; how are we going to move this forward?" 

You do not need to have the answer. 

And in fact, not having the answer as a leader allows you to be a better leader and be less stressed and not feel that internal pressure that I know you've been feeling and being the right kind of leader. 

Guess what the right kind of leader is? 

The one that's okay, not having the answers, that's okay being wrong, that owns their stuff. 

"I'm feeling stressed today. I feel overwhelmed. But I'm really looking forward to our time together."

"I'm looking forward to problem solve, to brainstorm to hear about your ideas." 

When you can do that consistently, then people trust you. 

People are like, "Oh, I'm really looking forward to talking to Lauren because she's a good time. She wears those fun hats, and she listens to me. And she doesn't give me advice anymore." 

Yeah, that's what being a leader is. 

I don't need to have the title to be a leader. 

You don't need to have the title to be a leader. 

All you need to do is create the space before you enter. 

Create your agenda, create your intentions, create the space and be consistent. 

In doing these five things, I guarantee you're gonna feel better going to bed, waking up, and entering into interactions because you don't have to be the maker and creator of all the things. 

How about that? It's a collective process, this team thing. Who knew? 

I hope this has been helpful, and let me know how it goes. 

And if it's a colossal failure, well, you know, just kidding, it's gonna go great. And I'll see you guys next time you keep being awesome.

Looking for a Job? Do These 3 Things First

Before I became a coach, I had the glamorous job of pre-screening candidates for our entry level positions. I’d get a stack of 20 cover letters and resumes and would have the fun task of reviewing those documents. If they got the initial thumbs up, I went further into my back-end research. Now I’m a business coach and  work as a contractor to screen and interview candidates for mid and high-level positions. It would be a disservice if I didn’t share with you my top three red flags and necessary fixes.

1)      GOOGLE YOURSELF -That’s right you heard me. Go and Google yourself. Type in your name and see what comes up. What do you see? Is it accurate? Does it portray your current professional image or what you want to be doing?

If you’ve answered “no,” it’s time to start creating kick-ass content to support you as an industry contributor (see my blog on credibility for more ideas).

If you see negative news, there are services out there to help you rebuild your online reputation. (Check Out this Free Guide from ReputationManagement.com )

If you don’t see anything and don’t want it that way, you can create a quick online profile at www.about.me to start establishing your online presence.

2)      Clean Up Your Social Media Presence – Can I tell you how many people have been knocked out of the running based on the pictures and posts they have floating around Facebook and Twitter? If you’re going to use your real name and real photos, you may have real consequences. Don’t think HR or hiring managers will look this up? So wrong. It’s first on the list before you even make it to the phone interview.

Even if your profile is private, I can still see your profile picture. To check, log out of your account and search for yourself. If you can see everything, go to your profile settings and amp up your privacy. This still doesn’t let you off the hook if you have a mutual friend. Just remember anything you post is in public domain and can live forever.

3)      Update Your Resume AND LinkedIn – I’ve heard grumblings about LinkedIn, but trust me, it matters when you’re in job hunt mode. People want to see your history and connections in a snap shot and that you’re taking your professional life seriously. So after you’ve updated your resume, it’s time to take to LinkedIn. This will take a bit of time depending on how out of date your profile is. First make sure you have an appropriate photo (no booze or bikinis, please). Second, update your headline to who you are and what you do. If you aren’t currently working, you can use something along the lines Freelance Writer or Non-Profit Professional. Third, make sure your work history is accurate. If you need an example, feel free to check out my profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenlemunyan/

The work isn’t over after these action items, but they will prevent the door from closing without good reason.