Investing in employee development is a key driver of a thriving workplace environment. To illustrate this, eight CEOs and COOs share their specific accomplishments in nurturing employee growth, from creating management opportunities to supporting career progression in marketing. Dive into their insights to understand the profound impact of employee development.
- Creating Management Opportunities
- Facilitating Career Transition
- Nurturing Talent Acquisition Skills
- Sponsoring Analytical Skill Development
- Guiding UI Learning and Leadership
- Implementing Personalized Career Plans
- Mentoring for Leadership Role
- Supporting Career Progression in Marketing
Creating Management Opportunities
In my experience, one of the most rewarding things I've done as a manager is helping an employee reach a professional goal.
I was working with a woman who had been in the same role for a few years and really wanted to learn how to manage—but we didn't have any openings in our team at the time. So, we created one! We found a good fit for her in another department, and she started working with them on some projects. These projects would help her gain more experience managing people and also give her something else to do, so she didn't feel like she was wasting time.
I could keep in touch with her about what she needed from me and what she needed from her bosses at the other department, so everything stayed organized and on track.
She got promoted to that other department eventually, and when an opening came up on my team, we could bring her back in as our new manager—which was great because now she has even more experience being a manager than before!
Dr. Hamdan Abdullah Hamed, Board-Certified Dermatologist and Co-Founder, Power Your Curls
Facilitating Career Transition
Investing in employee development is a key component for businesses looking to sustain both strong and engaged teams and workplace culture.
For example, I once collaborated with an employee who was looking to make a career shift into data analysis from web design. We identified transferable skills between the two areas of focus, discussed potential next steps and goals towards this transition, and explored possible resources that were available (e.g., training courses) to further develop relevant competencies. We also provided assistance on resumes and interviews as they began their search.
Ultimately, this individual secured a role in an entirely new field in which they hadn't had prior experience, demonstrating the value of proactive investment and support for individual growth within any organization's respective team.
Michael Alexis, CEO, teambuilding.com
Nurturing Talent Acquisition Skills
Developing younger professionals is one of the most satisfying aspects of being a business leader for me. A recent instance that comes to mind is a younger professional we'd helped to place in a sales role a few years prior. He was interested in shifting into talent acquisition and wanted to join our organization. He had no experience with recruiting but was passionate about the industry, so we brought him on board.
Having him on the team ended up being transformative for the entire office—his excitement for recruiting proved to be contagious, reminding the people training him of why we got into this industry, too. It also forced us to think critically about why we use the strategies we do and our ultimate aims in our recruitment efforts so that we could explain them to him effectively.
The end result was an elevation of the entire team, along with the cultivation of a new stellar recruiter, who has by this point become an integral member of our team.
Matt Erhard, Managing Partner, Summit Search Group
Sponsoring Analytical Skill Development
An employee once belonged to the Operations team who possessed a highly analytical mind and a keen interest in utilizing data for more informed decision-making. We supported her by sponsoring some SQL classes, which she fully utilized, and within a month, she transitioned into a full-fledged Data Analyst role.
This led to significant enhancements in our decision-making ability in a department where we hadn't invested many resources. Additionally, she became a role model for the rest of the company, demonstrating that growth is possible where there is a will to grow and that people are open to moving into new departments if they are motivated and interested.
Will Baker, Director, Skirtings R Us
Guiding UI Learning and Leadership
One of my team members really wanted to learn about UI. Our company wasn't doing UI projects at that time, but I wanted to help her. So, I talked to her about her career goals and what she wanted to learn.
I found online courses and UI resources and encouraged her to use them when she had free time. I also connected her with a colleague who knew a lot about UI, so he could guide her. I regularly checked how she was doing, answered her questions, and gave feedback. This helped me understand how she could help the team better.
Over time, she got really good at UI and even led a big project. This was a big achievement for her, and it also helped our team and company grow professionally.
Khunshan Ahmad, CEO, InsideTechWorld
Implementing Personalized Career Plans
As an employer, I want all my people to thrive. Since I only have a few employees, I was able to create a career plan for each of them. It's not a fixed one, but rather a suggestion on the path they could take for the future. I also added some suggestions on courses they could take to help improve their skills.
This strategy I implemented has kept my employees satisfied, and the retention rate is higher because of this. It has helped gain their trust in the company because they know we care about their professional development. It also makes our operations better because the employees become more efficient and creative when they attend seminars or take courses for their career development.
Mark Damsgaard, Founder, Global Residence Index
Mentoring for Leadership Role
We have a stellar employee-development program at our company. I actively take part in the mentorship program and have trained many young professionals. One of these has had great accomplishments and makes me super proud. This young woman has assumed a leadership role in just five years with us.
I mentored her for a year and showed her the ropes. I trained her specifically for leadership. She showcased what she learned from me and achieved her current position.
Brandon Rubinshtein, Founder, Howdy
Supporting Career Progression in Marketing
I've had so many great opportunities to help employees grow within Oxygen Plus, and every time I see those employees reach and exceed their goals, it's a true pleasure.
One of my most memorable employees that I've helped started working with us as a junior marketer. She advanced fairly quickly, but there were certainly hurdles along the way that our development program helped her to overcome.
Today, she is one of our senior employees in our marketing department and has a whole new set of goals that she is working to achieve so that she can move up in the company and move forward with her work. I'm proud to have helped her to where she is, and I will continue working with her and other employees to mentor them and give them the best opportunity to expand their potential.
Lauren Carlstrom, COO, Oxygen Plus
Learn more about how Maricopa Corporate College can support HR professionals in administering career training and professional development programs.
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