Charting Progress

Practical Applications in Servant Leadership, part 11

(Previous posts: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10)

In a previous post, we talked about a killer investment opportunity: growing the people on your team. Development is crucial for success, so should be deliberate.

Entering into development means taking aim for improvement. Plans for growth should be encouraging as you look together at the future. Improvement doesn’t need to be immediately relevant, but there needs to be some understanding in how this training or learning makes the individual better. Which brings us to the penultimate question in the Q12 Survey:

Q11: In the last six months, someone at work has talked to me about my progress.

Most larger organizations, possibly including yours, have a review cycle that comes up every 6 months. In smaller organizations, reviews are often done annually. Almost every manager I’ve ever worked with hates the employee review process. It tends to become busy work and is extremely subjective. Some companies directly tie raises and compensation to reviews, which makes the review process a morass bogged down in office politics. Some organizations go so far as to put rules around how many high scores can be given, limiting the number of people you are allowed to rate as top performers. Employee reviews in these circumstances start to be perceived like a trap rather than a chance to connect and communicate with your direct reports.

We got into the topic of employee feedback in our Q4 post discussing “recognition in the last 7 days”. There needs to be regular, deliberate interaction around the performance and growth of each person who reports to you. When you get to the formal review cycle there should never be any surprises to the employee, because you’ve been addressing issues and accomplishments all along the way

We also delved into this around Q6 and encouraging individual development. One of the suggestion in the Q6 post was:

Make a plan together. Invest your time into knowing how each of your direct reports can best grow and develop.

Let’s talk just a little bit about that word “plan.” Plans are not meant to be rigid. You may have heard the quote attributed to Dwight Eisenhower- “Planning is invaluable. Plans are worthless.” It’s overstated for shock value, sure, but it’s important to remember that your minty fresh plan isn't infallible. Another apropos quote with a military pedigree: “No plan survives first contact with the enemy.”

These two quotes emphasize some fundamentals about planning:

• Even the most carefully designed plans need to be flexible

• Real-world execution will always encounter unforeseen variables

• Adaptability is as important as initial planning

• Success often depends on how well you can adjust when things don't go as expected

The essence of these quotes is that planning is valuable, but plans should be viewed as starting points rather than rigid scripts. They will need to evolve as circumstances change.

When you make your development plan for a member of your team you will consider:

1. The individual team member’s talents and gifts

2. The needs of your organization going forward

3. Ways to challenge the individual and help her or him to grow

It’s also important to remember that development isn’t linear. Sometimes there’s a step forward, one back, and then a sideways feint before finally making a few more steps in the right direction. Occasionally it can feel like you’re spinning your wheels in the mud while working on self-improvement. Checking in occasionally, but regularly, allows you to notice forward progress and navigate roadblocks or ruts in the journey. Make sure you are encouraging your employees to bring up any blockers they are experiencing in their development plans so that you can look for solutions together, or redirect as appropriate.

Talking about progress means you have to get down into the weeds a little bit to attempt an objective evaluation of where your direct report is in the journey. You need to encourage candor about missing resources or antagonists or where you personally are a blocker to success. You also will often need to show your team member where headway has been made on the plan when she or he is discouraged and understating progress. Part of your job as a leader is encouragement in those moments and helping those you are serving to see the gains they’re blind to.

When it comes to deliberately investing in development, don’t forget about your own. A development plan is as important for you as it is for each of your team members. Set an example of continual growth for them. Reach out to your boss and work with them to make sure you’re progressing to becoming better at what you do. If you are stymied at your current level, I do recommend getting a coach. If I’m not a good fit, I’m always happy to make connections to other excellent coaches. I love to help others become the best version of themselves!