For more than two decades, we have lived with this sensibility and reality that we allocate most, if not all, of our corporate attention to high potentials and our highest performers with skills. We recognize the war for talent, scarcity, and competing for the best talent in the marketplace. This worldview can hinder our ability to see all of the talent in our workforce, and it clouds our regard for their potential. The last five to seven years have demonstrated a distinct change in how employees value work. In today’s workforce and current business environment, employees want something more.
The Shifting Values of Today’s Workforce
Employees clamor for a better deal out of what they get from their job and working for an organization/ They are looking for more than a paycheck and even more than just a promise of a “great place to work.” Yesterday’s approach to talent does not provide the scalability or sustainability for an agile and adaptable workforce to meet tomorrow’s market demands. It treats employees as resources whose output we crave for business outcomes. We need a better approach, one that sees employees for the potential they possess. When we see them not as resources but as people, we do not only provide them the skills to do their jobs, but we also provide them with the education and experience that will help them exceed beyond their current roles
And here is the real kicker: the workplace cannot only focus on what we, as business leaders, want to get out of our people. We must recognize what they desire and aspire to, or, as they have shown us, they’ll walk out the door for another job opportunity that gets them closer to their goals.
Individualized Learning Can Align with Organizational Success
Most organizations understandably prioritize training efforts around professional development, gaining the skills that drive productivity and lead to business outcomes. In many industries with oversight or regulatory bodies, compliance-based activities and training fill the time and space of learning. The tough questions we need to answer revolve around values, purpose, and mission with respect to our people. What do they represent beyond resources to get work done? What priorities do we have for their professional development AND their personal growth? What is essential about employee engagement, the score we boast about most? Is it the lift in efficiency? Or that engagement reflects a more profound sense of interest in and care for people outcomes?
We should not beat ourselves up, nor should we deflect and resign to the cold, harsh business environment. Most of us love a good challenge and recognize the change that innovation and new technologies bring. Sometimes resistance to disruption comes from a very human place, exhaustion, distress or getting pushed quickly into that zone of significant growth and transformation. So, as leaders, we have a critical responsibility for our people because it enables us to achieve success.
As business leaders, we can do both: we can have laser focus on business outcomes AND we can focus on the learning and development of our employees who want to grow beyond the confines of the day job. The mythology of individualized learning attempts to scare levelheaded managers with extreme scenarios of employees pursuing cocktail mixology and sailing. In reality, employees need to see precise alignment with the skills their roles and work require and the organization’s capabilities. They must see that their values align well with the organization because values drive our purpose and mission. Messaging and a people process that reinforce just doing a good job and just getting work done blur the lens on that most basic compass of why their work is important to them.
Creating a Transparent and Skills-Driven Workplace
What can we do differently tomorrow? What changes can we make? Should we start with a hard and meditative look at where employees fit into the picture of business outcomes? The reality of the environment and market around us sometimes override what we aspire to do. That doesn’t mean we can’t pledge a commitment to people. We must develop and practice skills sensing to gauge how both people and organizations value those marketable and ever-evolving skills. This practice acknowledges the constraints of the business environment as a system around us. Once we resolve that issue, we can adopt tangible commitments to the developmental experiences we want for our people beyond skills training.
Organizations must have clarity about what they are known for, what they excel at (core competencies), and employees should see clearly in an organization’s enterprise skills and broader capabilities. We also must define characteristics and core human attributes that help employees succeed in applying those capabilities in new and disruptive situations. All this creates transparency for the workforce. Will every employee jump with excitement? Clearly, no, but we at least have a basis for understanding what “good” looks like and the opportunity to strive for greatness. “Good” starts with the clarity of skills. Greatness drives adaptability and unlocks potential, even if that means employees see beyond their current roles. And then the roads open up to share just what’s around that next corner.
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