How do your staff development goals match your organization's objectives?

A part of assessing the situation is also to know the staff you are developing. Just because the organization has objectives does not mean it negates the way in which the staff want to be developed. If an organization is healthy and wanting good to come from development, it is just as much about the staff growing in a way they want while also simultaneously still following a path to reach organization objectives.

As part of your strategic workforce planning exercise, you will have a good grasp of the skills your workforce needs to continue to compete in the market. Once you have this data, you can start to look at the skills and interests of your employees. The key to this is to look for high fidelity results so that you can counter any bias. Most organisations will use several ways to assess skills. Once you have both the demand and supply of skills you can start to match the business need to employee needs, this will lead to much better business performance and talent retention.

Also get desired outcomes from the staff....this will aligned strengths they want to enhance and what can be provided. Overtime, this constant balance will initiate mutual initiatives for staff AND the organization to develop together.

You could use the SMART technique to think about mapping employee aspirations with where they are now. I also like to use the GROW technique in coaching, this stands for; Goals, Objectives, Obstacles and Way forward. This is a softer framework to use during staff developmental conversations.

Organisations and employees are looking for a easier and more intuitive experience. Most organisations have quite a lengthy development process which is typically done annually. With skills changing all the time, this is too long to wait. I would advise a shorter developmental conversation, for example, once a month as a check in. You should also consider how to make this simple and sticky for the employee. Simple - 5 minutes rule, it shouldn't take them longer than 5 minutes to update. Sticky - it should link into their career development plans and motivations - so they keep coming back.

If staff development goals don't match the business's strategic objectives, then why are they goals? Workplace professional growth should be mutually beneficial - the employee is learning new skills that will enhance their performance, and the organization gets the benefits of the enhanced performance. Competency frameworks can be helpful here, as there are skills that cross many different roles. They also provide a clear roadmap for employees who want to learn and grow in their careers. They can choose the best professional development opportunities for their strategic growth that will also benefit the company.

You might want to consider how staff development goals link to career pathing. If this is the case for employees, you can start to weave in meaning into the developmental conversations. For example, if employee can close skills gap in XYZ areas, this will lead to new career opportunities and exposure in the organisation. This carrot and stick approach has been proven to improve engagement and results.