Here’s an all-too common scenario: a hiring manager interviews an external candidate for a new position within the organization and asks, “Where would you like to be professionally in the next few years?” The candidate responds that she hopes to be part of a stable company with a plan for controlled growth, managing her own team and honing her project management skills. The hiring manager applauds her response, decides she’s a perfect fit and brings her on board.
During her first two years with the company, the employee gets great reviews. She steps up for all kinds of special projects and enrolls in an MBA program at a local university. At a monthly meeting with her manager, she reminds him of her ambition to manage people, and mentions a few openings she’s seen posted on the company job board recently. “I think you’d be a great manager,” her boss says. And then—the conversation stalls.
The employee realizes she’s probably missing some of the skills required to advance, but she’s not sure how to gain the right knowledge. Her manager doesn’t seem willing to help her prepare for a new role. This pattern repeats over the next six months. The employee tries to get insight into what she needs to do to move up. Her boss offers words of encouragement but no real guidance. Discouraged, the employee finally gives up and starts looking for another job—and lands one with your largest competitor.
Now imagine what could have happened if your employee had visibility into the exact skills and competencies required for the jobs she saw posted within the organization. What if her boss had helped her identify a few advancement options that aligned with her goals? Better yet, what if the employee and her boss had collaborated on a development plan that prepared her to move into one of those roles within the organization?
Your organization could have kept a high–performing employee and increased her engagement and loyalty to the company. Ultimately, this has a cascade effect—more engaged employees have been linked to higher revenue, lower customer turnover, improved employer brand, reduced recruiting costs and all kinds of other benefits to the business. In fact, a study by Mercer found that 78% of employees said they would stay with their current employer longer if they could see a career path.
The best employers do more than just show employees potential career paths within the organization: They actually lead workers down those paths with targeted learning and development. Here are three ways you can lead your people down career paths within the organization:
1. Show employees job suggestions within the organization based on their current skills and how other employees have advanced. When staff can see different options laid out for them, they are empowered to choose which roles most closely align with their long-term goals. Showing them how other employees have progressed demonstrates that growth within the firm is possible—even probable—if they follow the right development paths.
2. Offer staff an easy, self-service way to explore competencies for current and future roles and identify skill gaps. Give staff visibility into how well they’re suited to their current roles, as well as insight into the skills necessary to move into other positions. This is especially important for large organizations with dispersed workforces, where staff may have limited exposure to colleagues in different departments or functions. Showing workers the criteria for each role lets them see how they need to focus their development efforts to qualify for different jobs.
3. Provide personalized recommendations and development plans aligned with each employee’s career paths. Creating development plans that equip staff to advance within your company sets them—and your business—up for success. When staff can see the specific learning activities that will support their development, there is an extra incentive to complete assigned learning. And when managers can see individual team member goals and hold people accountable, employees progress more quickly and feel empowered to grow.
Learn more ways to lead your people down career paths with the free ebook, Transform Career Mobility: 3 Steps to Engage & Inspire Your People.
