Workplace Culture: Is Your Personal Development Approach Old-School?

There’s no question that personal development within your workplace culture can give your organization a competitive edge. But what happens if the approach you’ve chosen to evolve and maximize the potential of your people is old-school, ineffective or – no shame here – currently nonexistent?

A lack of or absence of the right personal development strategies can surface serious issues—things like knowledge gaps, low employee morale, productivity slumps/inconsistencies, legal issues, staff hiring and retention roadblocks, and higher costs to doing business. So, what do employees really want and need today? When it comes to personal development, here’s our two cents:

1. Help your people to know themselves better. Truly knowing yourself is a powerful lever for initiating personal growth and development. The same truism goes for all those you lead. When people have an excellent sense of who they are– their strengths, skills, innate gifts and talents, opportunities for improvement, and, yes, even areas in which they genuinely aren’t gifted, this becomes highly grounding and helpful. It’s a launchpad from which confidence builds and upward mobility happens. Self-assessments, certain tools, exercises, engaging workshops and resources, plus focus time dedicated to unearthing the truth about your people can also shed a bright light on personal-development potential, both real and untapped.
2. Push the comfort zones culture-wide. Let’s face it, getting outside your comfort zone can feel scary and vulnerable. As a leader, however, it’s one of the best ways to ignite personal growth for yourself, and it’s also a surefire way to ignite the personal growth of your people. To make comfort-zone challenges more manageable and boosting the odds of success, make it fun! Games, incentives, recognition, team-building, awards and other engaging, interactive strategies can make “change” and anything else challenging and “new” actually feel safe, rewarding, and even welcomed!
3. Tackle tough stuff. It’s challenging to foster personal growth in a culture that is stuck on beliefs that don’t serve it today, or old habits that undermine or prevent success. That’s where getting real about what’s not working and developing a plan around what needs to change comes into play. No question about it, tackling the tough stuff and supporting change isn’t easy—but do it anyway! With the right systems in place and by tapping the power of a culture-wide accountability system, it can be empowering for all, and far less painful.

Ready to prioritize the personal development of the culture you lead? Choose the right solution, using accountability and tools that are proven to work. Contact MAP today!