Three Ways to Develop & Empower Your Team
When it comes to developing a young team, it’s important to remember that they’re still fresh from the education world. A world where they’ve been taught that things are straightforward, someone will always provide guidance and a how-to for a task, and a world where they’ve really only interacted with a limited number of individuals who aren’t from their generation.
So, when developing this Millennial and Gen Z workforce, there are three things we like to focus on at NimblyWise to make the transition to the world of work easier—both for the emerging talent and the existing team.Mindset Shift
As we touched on already, college and career are very different places. When individuals enter the world of work, they start out thinking it works in a certain way—you listen to your manager and do your job, then after one year, you get promoted, because that’s just how it works. But in reality, the world of work is a lot messier than that. Empowering employees to readjust their expectations and mindsets to take more ownership, more agency, and play more offense in their own career is the starting point for true growth—for both the business and employee. Because in most cases, these mixed expectations can lead to premature turnover.Personalized Support
All employees are different. Even if they’re at the same point in their career journey, they may be at totally different places in life or skill levels. So NimblyWise provides external third-party coaching support so they can meet your employees where they’re at. Personalized support from trained coaches provides a level of neutrality and insight that allows individuals to feel comfortable and cared for, so they gain the confidence to do more.Soft Skill Development
Soft skills like critical thinking, interpersonal communication, leadership, emotional intelligence, and time management, among others, are not going to be developed in a two-hour training. The process to learn these skills needs constant reinforcement with safe spaces to practice and build those muscles. That is what we provide to program participants so they have a place to grow outside their organization, while implementing what they’ve learned and practiced at work.Designing an Employee-Focused Company Culture to Maximize the Talents of Your Team
Part of developing your team once you’ve focused on those three core areas is developing a culture that allows them to thrive once those pieces are in place. The culture that you’ve had, isn’t the culture that is going to propel your business forward. Consider making these shifts to start designing a company culture that focuses on your most important asset—your team.Embrace Flexibility
This new generation of the workforce has been fighting for more balance and flexibility in their work location and flow for many years. Now, because the pandemic, even more so. Employees have shown they can thrive in this environment, so embrace flexible work options to retain your top talent.Offer Comprehensive Onboarding
Onboarding is all about sharing the do’s and don’ts of company culture. Here are a few things you should include to ensure your onboarding covers everything from A to Z:
- Clarity about job expectations
- Parameters of flexible work options
- Opportunities to learn soft skills and practice in a safe space
- The why behind processes and procedures—not just “this is how we do things here”
- Big picture organizational goals and how teams work together to achieve that—taking it further, how their individual role plays a part in that bigger picture
- Recognition opportunities
- Progressive career path development opportunities
Coach All Levels, Not Just Emerging Talent
For your culture to foster growth at all levels and for empowerment of emerging talent to work, there has to be a shift with both upper management and young emerging talent – if all levels don’t adopt this shift, it won’t be effective. Remember, people don’t leave their company, they leave their managers!Place Importance on DEI & Socially Conscious Causes
This generation looks totally different from other generations. They’re demanding more inclusive environments, more mental health resources, and they’re very motivated by justice and higher purpose. This is a part of what helps them feel a sense of belonging— a part of a community, not just a workplace.
Using these principles to guide the design of an employee-centric organization is the key to faster growth. Because, as we’re sure you’ve heard before, if you take care of your employees, they’ll take care of your customers!
How to Start Implementing Effective Policies & Programs to Support Your Team
Now that you know what it takes to develop your team and create a culture that fosters their growth, how can you implement these concepts for your own company? We want you to take action today!
Think about a program, initiative, process, or company policy change that you are considering to further develop, support, or retain young professionals. Then, ask yourself the following and take notes to track your responses:
- What is the “why” behind the idea?
- What is the cost of not exploring this perspective or idea?
- What could be gained from exploring this perspective or idea?
Are You Ready to Be a Pioneer in the New World of Work?
If there is one thing we know for sure, it’s that this next generation of employees is challenging what the world of work looks like. They’re expecting more from their work and their employers, they’re seeking greater fulfillment and meaning from their roles, and ultimately, paired with rapidly changing technology, they’re shaping a new era for the workforce. If you want your company to be at the forefront of this next chapter and cultivate a team of changemakers, NimblyWise can help.
Let’s chat about how our program can help develop and support your team and make a big impact on your organization!
