Meaningful employee growth goes beyond trainings and workshops – it takes time, trust, feedback, and a clear path forward.
I’m passionate about employee development, which I define as building up the careers of the people you work with. This goes beyond professional development or training; you can send people to conferences for those things. Real staff development involves a long-term commitment to shaping individuals into better professionals and people.
Having spent nearly 20 years at Garver, where I’ve been given both the autonomy and support to forge my own path, I’ve identified three strategies that are key for effective employee development.
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Invest time and be intentional. To truly develop your team, it’s essential to engage in frequent interactions. Within your team, you need to intentionally carve out time for one-on-one conversations, preferably in-person. These interactions allow you to understand an employee’s challenges and thoughts, moving beyond superficial hallway or “Teams” exchanges to build genuine connections.
You need to be the one to initiate these meetings, because without your proactive approach they may never happen or won’t occur often enough to make a significant impact. This process is time-consuming, so it’s important to be selective. Assess your workload and theirs to determine if you can dedicate the necessary time. While it’s ideal to spend time with everyone, it’s simply not feasible; there aren’t enough hours in the day.
Being intentional means focusing efforts so that you achieve meaningful impacts. I adhere to the one-to-seven rule from the book Love Works, which suggests that six to seven is the optimal number of people you can effectively mentor at any given time. When you sit down for these conversations, delve deep, and ask probing, open-ended questions, such as, “Tell me why you made that decision” or, “What do you think the next step is?” Try not to immediately solve problems but rather discuss the path to future solutions. Discuss strategies for navigating tricky situations or handling difficult contractors or clients. Encourage them to share their issues openly so you can help them problem solve. -
Share criticisms and celebrate successes. Early on in my career, we developed an “Expectations” list to review with new hires; one of them is “Be humble enough to accept criticism and courageous enough to give it.”
Often, employees feel compelled to share only positive news with their supervisors, fearing that discussing their struggles might reflect poorly on their performance. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Open and transparent communication is crucial for identifying and addressing issues and often provides the most value. To encourage open communication, be willing to share your own failures with your team.
And if a crisis does arise, employees need to know how to manage it. Clients frequently commend Garver for our ability to step up and take control when things don’t go as planned. By fostering deep relationships with our employees and understanding potential issues, we can address problems before they happen.
Of course, it’s also important that employees feel seen and appreciated for their successes. A few months ago, I had to discuss an issue with a team member. I’d noticed that the budget on a project wasn’t being closely monitored, so I challenged the employee to take ownership of that problem moving forward. I also asked him to send me an analysis of how he was going to accomplish our goal. He did that, but he didn’t stop there; he went above and beyond, sending out weekly updates to me throughout the rest of the project. At our next meeting, I publicly acknowledged him in front of our whole team, saying, “I want everybody to know that I challenged him to do this, and he exceeded expectations.” Public praise not only boosts morale, it also contributes to buy-in.
Early in my career, one of my mentors taught me that relationships are like piggy banks. When you applaud someone for something positive, it’s like making a deposit. Later, when you need to offer criticism (a withdrawal), you might bruise their ego, but the accumulated goodwill helps cushion the impact. -
Encourage and help direct growth. Securing employee buy-in is crucial for successful development. Encourage your employees to create a vision for themselves, helping them see the potential paths their career could take. Without this buy-in, they may be reluctant to tackle complex problems or take on additional responsibilities necessary for career growth.
Use semi-annual check-in meetings to discuss goals and career opportunities. Share where you envision them in two to four years, highlight where their skills can be most impactful, and ignite their enthusiasm.
It’s important, however, to remind them that achieving this vision requires effort from both parties. Chances are, if you’ve shown your commitment to them, they’re going to be equally committed. Developing their technical skills is only part of the equation. They must also develop the discipline and soft skills needed for advancement.
In conversations about next steps, address weaknesses and amplify strengths. Identify what they excel at and enjoy doing and how to align those strengths with their growth. Helping an employee navigate their career path and understand their role in Garver’s growth takes time and can be challenging, but it is good for the individual and the company as a whole. When we make employees aware of the possibilities within Garver, they won’t be tempted to look elsewhere.
Garver opened its first Aviation Design Center in 2017, and since that time we have not had any regrettable departures. In this competitive environment, that’s saying something. I’ve spent my entire career at Garver, but company loyalty is frequently challenged in today’s hyper-competitive labor market. You must make it worth it for employees to stay, and offering employee development opportunities does that.
Adam White, PE, is the Aviation Operations Leader for Garver. Connect with him on LinkedIn.