How do you update and revise career ladder templates based on changing needs and expectations?

Your employers have a voice; LISTEN TO IT! Leadership has to remember that they were once entry-level or mid-managers, and someone listened to them. You will be surprised how many great ideas you will get!

A big one for me is to find those transferable skills. So what parts of your job do you really enjoy, what parts do you find yourself avoiding or not wanting. List out those parts and the skills you have or don't have to do them. Pop all those into ChatGPT and prompt it to assess where you are compared to your goals and other job descriptions in your company. Have it create a plan for you.

Collect feedback from employees, managers, and HR professionals about the existing career ladder. Research industry standards and trends to ensure alignment with current practices and future developments. Identify key competencies required for each role, including technical skills, soft skills, and leadership capabilities. Clearly define each role and level, specifying responsibilities, skills, and qualifications needed for advancement. Incorporate insights from managers about the skills and behaviors leading to success. Implement the revised career ladder as a pilot program in one department to gather initial feedback and make necessary adjustments. Establish a process for regular review and updates to ensure relevance and effectiveness.

Think of your career as an arc-where was it; where is it going, and where does the next step lead you. Even if you’re confident you were found your dream job or position you should always think whether it leads to something else and what the future will hold. This will help frame things in your mind.

Updating career ladder templates based on changing needs involves gathering feedback, reviewing current templates, identifying emerging skills, consulting experts, updating competency frameworks, defining clear progression paths, incorporating flexibility, communicating changes, offering training, and regular review. By staying informed about industry trends and organizational goals, and engaging stakeholders in the process, organizations can ensure that career ladder templates remain relevant and supportive of employees' career development and progression.

If you are not seeking feedback from all those you work with its a great time to start doing that in a way that implements it in your normal day. A project finishes, you facilitate something, follow up quickly with those you worked with to get data on how you impacted the project or situation and what could you have done differently to get a different impact. Gather that data on an ongoing basis.

Sometimes you can find a simplified way to do this. One process I use is just a simple stop, start, continue. I asked my department in division heads to come up with something I should stop doing, something I should start doing, and something I should continue doing. This is a positive way to engage in a easier 360° review process with subordinates who may be otherwise hesitant to offer opinion on their supervisor. Keeping it simple makes it less of a chore and will get a better response rate.

One of the best ways to do this is to look at what’s being posted for your position elsewhere. Not a promotion but the current job that you have. If this is what the industry is looking for do you have those skills or experiences? How does the posting look compared to when you took your current position?

Don’t wait for a promotional opportunity to realize you have not been building the skills, education, or experience that’s needed for a position. Even if you think the next level is five or 10 or 15 years out, pay attention to what those positions are looking for today and make sure that you are working towards them. That way when an opportunity appears you’re not behind the game.

Align with Organizational Goals Ensure that the updated career ladders align with the overall strategic goals and objectives of the organization. This alignment ensures that employee development is in sync with the company’s growth and direction. Incorporate Skill-Based Learning Opportunities Integrate opportunities for skill-based learning and development into the career ladders. This includes training programs, certifications, workshops, and on-the-job learning experiences for skills for advancement. Update Job Descriptions Revise job descriptions to reflect the new skill-based models. Ensure that each job description clearly states the skills and competencies required and the expectations for each role within the career ladder.

It’s important that your action plan be realistic and tied to an achievable timetable. That’s not to say you can’t be a brain surgeon, but if you’re trying to career shift from being in marketing to being a brain surgeon, you should be ready for the 10+ year journey of education and experience and the challenges of a midcareer shift. Moving from a mid-level position to a management level? Not as difficult, and not necessarily is time consuming-or as linear.

Communicate Changes to Employees Communicate the updated career ladders and job descriptions to all employees. Clearly explain the reasons for the changes, how they align with organizational goals, and what employees need to do to progress in their careers.

To ensure that your career ladder templates remain up-to-date, it's essential to conduct regular reviews and revisions. For instance, you can benchmark your templates against industry standards and best practices. This involves comparing your career progression criteria with recognized industry criteria, adjusting as needed to stay in line with the latest industry trends and expectations. This proactive approach helps keep your career ladder templates dynamic and relevant amidst changing needs and evolving industry norms.

One of the ways you can visualize, the step is think of your current position, and how you would write your résumé for it. Would you apply for the position today? Dig out your job description or your cover letter from your current position and see if they still hold true. Has there been Mission creep? Are you still as hopeful as you were in your cover letter?

Regularly Review and Update Establish a process for regularly reviewing and updating the career ladder templates to ensure they remain relevant and effective. This ongoing review process helps keep the templates aligned with evolving industry trends and organizational needs. Gather Feedback and Iterate Collect feedback from employees and managers on the effectiveness of the updated career ladders. Use this feedback to make continuous improvements, ensuring that the templates remain practical and valuable tools for career development.