“By prioritizing staff development, you will build a strong team of specialists,” writes Julia Becker Collins.
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Employees are the backbone of every business. Without dedicated, hard-working staff, your business can quickly fall flat. Yet, there is a powerful and cost-effective strategy that often gets overlooked: investing in your team. By prioritizing staff development, you will build a strong team of specialists. This will drive not only individual performance, but long-term growth increasing employee retention and client success.
How to build a team set for success
Looking back, one of the best decisions I’ve made as a business leader at Vision Advertising was looking beyond just hiring for hard skills. Yes, you can succeed hiring for a desired technical skill set, but are you getting a motivated team member who is eager to soak up all the information you have to offer? Maybe not.
Ready to invest in your team?
Of course, there will be risk when stepping away from the traditional hiring-for-hard-skills mindset, but I can promise you, it will be worth it.
That’s how I have built my team at Vision Advertising. By focusing on soft skills like communication and problem-solving paired with those personable character traits you can’t teach, I have formed a trustworthy group, which is always eager to learn and grow. Here are some of the key steps to take:
• Have regular training sessions. Whether it’s a long-standing program needing a refresh or a new platform altogether, training is essential. Identify specific areas where your staff may need support, provide continuous feedback, and customize training to meet those needs. Keeping your staff well-informed and confident in the tools they use not only boosts productivity but also empowers adaptability.
• Assign workshops and webinars. Outside of internal training sessions, put together a list of professional development opportunities aligning with each of your current staff’s goals. This creates self-paced learning, along with additional growth avenues. Whether it’s a podcast or Udemy course, I’ve found great success in providing outside resources.
• Invite staff to attend conferences. Whether it’s a young intern or a seasoned employee, bring them along to public events where they can create valuable connections and interact with others in the same industry alongside fostering personal growth. Gaining insight from thought leaders and staying up to date on emerging trends is key in staff development.
What should my goals be?
Don’t get me wrong, if you’re a marketing company and need an experienced web developer, this probably won’t work for you. Some skills are only learned through first-hand experience and rigorous training. You can’t expect a flexible team member to be good at everything. In fact, that’s the opposite of what you want. Your goal is for each team member to be exceptional at what they do best, while relying on others to complement their skills and fill in the gaps.
