What about Your Growth …

Too many times, I’ve met with team members who’ve told me that they are frustrated because the company isn’t sending them to off-site training on a regular basis.  Yeah, so?

Look, I have no problem sending people to training to improve their skills or to introduce them to new skills when it makes sense – to accelerate our ability to develop specific tools or to introduce a new technology in to the organization.  However, isn’t it just as important for the individual to take responsibility for staying abreast of what is happening within their field and to identify learning opportunities that keep them in play within their individual profession?  More importantly, people need to realize that there are plenty of learning opportunities within the organization.

Every year, I have my team managers sit down with each team member to discuss and create an individualized learning plan.  I continue to be amazed at the number of people who view this as an exercise of “what is the company going to do for me”.  Folks, it’s not about what the company is going to do for you, but to look ahead and identify what you need to do to take the next step.

1. Do you want to be promoted from an Engineer II to an Engineer III?
2. Do you want to be a team lead?
3. Do you want to be a team manager?
4. Do you want to cross boundaries and maybe develop in a new language?

The conversation between the manager and the team member needs to be open and honest.  What are the goals of the individual and what are the needs of the organization?  Maybe the organization doesn’t need you to cross over and learn a new development language.  That doesn’t mean you can’t learn that on your own.  I learned a handful of languages formally in school – everything else I’ve learned on my own by picking up books or by learning via the internet.

However, in most instances, the team manager is going to be supportive of the goals that individual team members have identified.  They will look to provide internal opportunities to mentor and give the team member the experiences they are looking for to further their professional goals.  At the same time, the team member needs to be willing to listen to the manager and step outside of their comfort zone.  Maybe we are going to ask you to begin mentoring others on the team with specific skill sets that you have.  Maybe we are going to ask you to take the lead role on a project moving through the organization.  Maybe we are going to ask you to get involved in project level design sessions or implementation planning.  And, yes, maybe we will ask you to go off-site to a specific training opportunity.

What everyone needs to understand is that there is some give and take in the process and learning doesn’t necessarily equate to being sent off site for a week in Las Vegas to attend the latest and greatest symposium.  Yes, there are times when I’m going to need to send someone off-site to be exposed to a new technology – but there is a lot of learning that happens within the organization.

I would also add that it is your individual responsibility to stay on top of your field by reading.  Yes, that old fashioned skill we all learned in grade school.  Today, there is a vast amount of information at our fingertips – either on the internet or by actually ordering a book and reading it.  You can browse on the web and learn just about anything you want to today.  I've learned more on my own or being mentored by others in the company vs any formal training I've ever had.

How many of you are taking the time to improve yourself vs waiting for the organization to do it for you?

If you'd like more information on my background: LinkedIn Profile