Reflections – Developing People

Her New Standard, an organization that provides business consulting and services that help women leaders advance, posed the question, “What makes a manager GREAT at developing people?”  I was one of three leaders asked to share my perspective. Click on the link to see their post. (LINK)

This reflection provides additional context and the “why” behind my answer.

Great People Managers

Effective managers understand talent at a deeper level, curate content and experiences, and employ situational feedback.

She assesses people’s ability, aspirations, and values to understand individuals and teams on a deeper level.  She offers work experiences and knowledge that prepare them for current success and future opportunities.  Finally, she employs situation feedback, in the form of appreciation, coaching, and/or evaluation as needed.

These actions in combination provide individuals and teams with a kaleidoscope of opportunity.

Understand Talent at a Deeper Level

Good managers recognize talent and deploy them effectively to achieve organizational goals.  Great managers help colleagues broaden their career options by better understanding their capabilities and why they matter.  Great managers ask good questions and observe people in real situations.  As Tomas Chamooro-Premuzic, Seymour Adler, and Robert B. Kaiser outline in their work, What Science Says About Identifying High-Potential Employees, great managers assess:

  1. Ability: the demonstrated level of knowledge and skill it takes to do a job. Observe on-the-job performance.
  2. Aspiration: the will, drive, and motivation to work hard, achieve, and do what it takes to get the job done. Observe willingness to embrace discomfort or change.
  3. Social Skills: the ability to manage oneself and others. Observe people collaborating and building relationships.

Great managers synthesize these observations to develop a robust picture that integrates skills, talents, values, and interests.  They show you what is possible.

Curate Content and Experiences

Good managers provide learning and development experiences that build competence in a current role and suggest future developmental opportunities for the next promotion.  Great managers start from a person’s long-term aspiration and work backwards to the present.  They create a success roadmap by curating a series of jobs, special assignments, and learning experiences to achieve the aspiration.  They act as sponsors to help employees get the needed roles.  They aid the building of powerful networks that expand spheres of influence both internally within the organization and externally in the broader industry.

Great managers guide you on a learning journey that pushes people out of their comfort zone in psychologically safe environments, to build the skills and experiences needed for long-term success.

Employ Situational Feedback

Good managers provide formal feedback twice a year and informal feedback throughout the year.  The feedback focuses primarily on how to succeed in the current role.  Great managers go deeper.  Before providing feedback, they ask what type of feedback is desired, and then balance responses with the feedback colleagues need to hear.  Simply put, they balance:

  • Appreciation Feedback…thanks for what you are doing. Everyone needs to know they are valued beyond just doing a job.
  • Coaching Feedback…here’s a better way to do it. Share proven techniques developed by past experts.  Define exceptional performance so it is not a mystery.
  • Evaluation Feedback…here’s where you stand. At the end of the day people need to calibrate their performance in comparison to others.

Great managers provide all three types of feedback.

 Bottom Line

Want to be a great people developer?  Take the time to understand colleagues at a deeper level, create career journey maps, and offer the feedback colleagues need to grow.  Focus on these three areas, and before long people will fight to be part of your team.

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