Research shows that the climate of an organization influences an individual’s contribution far more than the individual himself.
–W. Edwards Deming

 
We want to succeed, we want our team members to succeed, and we want our organization to succeed. How do we make that happen?

Based on LinkedinWorkplaceLearningReport2023, the heart of organizational success are our people and their skills.

We often talk about the need for a commitment for continual learning and the findings support that. The Workplace Learning Report states that the #1 priority for success is to map learning with your goals. (What got you to where you are today will not likely help with “tomorrow”).

They also shared the 4 focus areas as:

1.    Aligning learning programs to business goals
2.    Upskilling employees
3.    Creating a culture of learning
4.    Improving employee retention

As we often share, documented goals are a must have. And, each organization and team member must understand how they can support them, with a means to track progress. Once defined, are all the skills and development opportunities in place to attain these goals? Are there any that are missing?

Next, it’s all about your people. Your employees, from the time they are hired and through-out their entire career, must experience a work culture that makes them feel valued and allows them to thrive. Maria Laws, Director of Learning Experience Design says: “it’s about helping everyone find the way that they shine.” We call this Magic Dust™; that is helping our team members discover their strengths and where they find enjoyment. This includes knowing and leveraging:

·         What each team member is good at
·         The unique skills and abilities of each team member
·         The qualities that make them most impactful
·         How each team member feels valued

93% of organizations have reported that they view employee retention as an issue, and the report concluded that if employees are not being developed and with the ability to learn new things, they will look for work elsewhere. In a nutshell, workers have a high desire to “stretch, grow, and develop” themselves.

3 suggestions for making this happen include:

1.    Invest in cross-functional relationships (growth is not limited to promotional opportunities)
2.    Improve in data literacy (ask the employees about issues and satisfaction levels)
3.    Activate people managers (it’s reported that only 35% of workers were encouraged by their boss to learn new things; encourage your people!)

How are you contributing to organizational success? Can you do more?

Sincerely,

Mike and Jan

An organization’s ability to learn, and translate that learning into action rapidly,
is the ultimate competitive advantage.
—Jack Welch

 

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