For most of my professional life, opportunities to learn and grow were dictated to me. Supervisors would let me know about trainings or conferences that I had to attend, or they would email me information about a training with no explanation or follow up. They rarely provided any context and almost never talked with me about the trainings after I completed them. It was as if it was all a means to an end, a way to satisfy an organizational quota, rather than an opportunity to truly learn and grow.
Then, in one of my jobs, I was given a professional development budget and told that I could use it as I saw fit. Although the budget was relatively small, I was thrilled at the opportunity to choose what I wanted to learn and how I wanted to learn it. Suddenly, I had a say in my own learning, and it gave me a whole new outlook on how professional development could be. And, in the most wonderfully unexpected way, it also gave me the opportunity to use my budget for a professional exchange trip to Cuba- a once in a lifetime opportunity I would never have had otherwise.
When I became in charge of my own team and was on the side of securing professional development rather than just partaking in it, it posed a huge challenge. I was constantly on the lookout for trainings that would be equally valuable to each of my staff, that they could all attend at the same time, and that were within our budget. This proved to be not only challenging, but impossible.
There were people on my team who were new to the work and others who had been doing it for years while others still were decades in. Each team member had their own strengths, areas to work on, and goals they wanted to reach. How could I possibly find something to suit them all? Further, coordinating these opportunities was time-consuming and expensive. Plus, every time a new staff member came on board, I had to figure out a way to catch them up on everything they had missed, all while staying within that budget.
I knew the way I was doing it wasn’t working, but I wasn’t sure what else to do. Until I remembered that fateful job that let me have control over my own professional development budget. I realized that the answer was right in front of me, and that I just had to figure out how to put all the proverbial pieces in place.
Through lots of conversations and lots of trial and error, my team and I developed a system gave them more control over their own professional development. This made life easier for me and made professional development so much more meaningful for them. Rather than spending my time coordinating everything for my staff, I gave them agency and choice over their own opportunities, and it benefited all of us.
To accomplish this, we created a professional development template that each staff member received when they joined the team. The specifics varied depending on the staff member, but essentially, this template became a professional development plan for everybody’s year.
On the template, was the required number of hours that needed to be completed throughout the year as well as the competencies and goals each staff member had. We discussed these competencies and goals together to ensure they were working on skills they needed to have for the position as well as those they wanted to develop for future positions. Then, there would be options under each competency that included trainings and conferences when available but also lots of other methods to learn and grow like observing other staff, being observed by other staff, participating in coaching sessions, reading, listening to a podcast, watching a TED talk… The provided options were varied and were only ideas. Staff were invited and encouraged to seek out their own opportunities as well.
After completing each opportunity, staff and I would check in during our one-on-one time and discuss what they had learned and how they would apply it. Then, this would become part of our ongoing conversations and professional support.
There were certain opportunities that were mandatory for all staff and others that were optional. Each staff had a certain number of opportunities they needed to complete and were always welcome to complete more.
It became clear quickly that some staff liked to take more initiative than others, and these staff rarely chose from among the provided options, deciding instead to seek out the opportunities they were most interested in. Other staff who did not know how to seek out opportunities on their own or simply had no interest in doing so, would choose from the options provided rather than look for other opportunities. Both were fine and both provided opportunities for staff to make a choice and do what worked best for them.
This template changed constantly as staff discovered new opportunities to add while removing those opportunities that proved not to be helpful or viable for whatever reason.
This system was not just about making life easier for me- although it most certainly did that- and it wasn’t just about giving staff voice for the sake of it. Providing staff the opportunity to have more control over their professional growth is an effective way to enhance that growth while increasing staff satisfaction and ultimately, staff retention.
Researcher and author Daniel Pink popularized the autonomy-mastery-purpose model which states that to be satisfied at work, people need all three. By definition, autonomy is the feeling of having agency to make decisions. Mastery is the feeling of being skilled and competent, and purpose is knowing that what you do matters. Providing staff with control over their professional development satisfies all three of these.
In other important research, Gallup has spent years surveying millions (yes, millions) of people across the country to find out what makes them happy and motivated at work. Of the top twelve responses, three are directly related to professional development with other items closely related. These findings are aligned with many others showing that people do not simply want to be told what to do but instead want to be able to make their own decisions about their own lives.
There are countless ways you can go about involving your team more in their professional growth. My example is just one of many. Depending on the specifics of your field and your organization, you likely have certain nuances and parameters that will inform your approach. You and your staff may also have preferences. However you choose to do it, involving your staff in their own growth is essential to making them feel supported and trusted, and it begins and ends with a conversation. Your first iteration does not have to be- should not be really- your final one. Start small and adjust your approach along the way.
Talk with your staff about why you are doing this and listen to their concerns and their ideas. Work with them to create a system what works for all of you.
Developing a professional development system that benefits your staff in a way that is manageable for you and valuable for them is essential to your success as a leader and your team’s success as professionals. Stop trying to do it all for your staff and instead work with them to create a system that gives them control and provides opportunities to grow in the ways they want to grow.
