As a manager, it can be tricky to navigate employee ambitions—especially when some team members’ expectations may exceed their actual readiness to advance. In her August 8 “Calling the Game” video, Bobbie LaPorte offers three tips to keep those expectations realistic while still making sure employees feel engaged and valued.
Tips for Guiding Employee Ambitions and Providing Strengths-Based Growth Strategies for Your Team
Hi, this is Bobbie LaPorte, back with another week of “Calling the Game,” where I share my own experience and insights while giving you valuable tools you can use to call your own game…and plan the best moves for you and your team.
I have a question for you: do you have a team member who, in your opinion, has unrealistic expectations of their readiness for promotion and career advancement? Well, no surprise – you’re not alone.
Overall, employee engagement and retention issues seem to be more prominent now than ever. Employees are heightening their expectations for career advancement and the compensation that comes with it. This has always been an important part of any leader’s responsibility, but many are feeling the pressure; more now than ever before.
So how do you support your team members’ ambitions while also tempering their expectations and keeping them engaged?
Consider these three suggestions for navigating employee ambitions:
- Don’t wait until your team member comes to you and expresses their concern about their advancement. Most organizations are moving to a more frequent, yet informal, way of providing feedback on an individual’s performance, more current and useful than the historical once or twice-a-year formal review. You can make this part of your regular 1:1 update with your staff. That way, there are no surprises, and everyone understands where they are in the process.
- Give them a clear path forward by being as specific as you can about outcomes, behaviors, and how you expect them to support the values of the organization. And make sure they understand that, in this changing and uncertain environment, everyone needs to adapt to changes in company requirements and goals. This is directional…..not cast in stone.
- Some of your team members may have untapped skills and talents that they could deploy to support your team as well as the emerging needs of the organization. Consider having your team take the Via Character “Signature Strengths” survey: viacharacter.org to discover their top strengths. The survey is science-based, free, and only takes a few minutes to complete. The results could provide the foundation for a surprisingly fruitful talk and insights that you both can benefit from.
There is no question that performance management can be one of the many responsibilities that leaders dread or, at the very least, avoid; or you can welcome it as an opportunity to help your team members feel valued and maximize their contribution to the organization. With a little planning and an open mind, it can be a productive and generative experience for both of you.
Okay, that’s it for this week’s “Calling the Game.” I hope this helps you gear up for a great week and navigate any curveballs that may come your way!