Coach Your Team to Learn, Stretch, and Grow

Is your team working to its full potential?

Just Here For the Job

• Accomplish workload
• Not interested in challenges
• Not interested in career advancement

• Do the minimum to get paid

High Achievers

• Curious
• Adventurous
• Observant
• Inquisitive

Provide stretch assignments and scaffolding.

Assignment Follow-Up

• What did you like?
• What was missing?
• What did you wish you knew before?
• Was it enjoyable or overwhelming?
• Give specifics

Make learning opportunities accessible

No one is unteachable. There is always more to learn.

Team Members with Potential

• Ask what skills they want to learn
• What areas could they improve?
• Express the strengths in sharpening skills
• Encourage finding a learning resource or event
  • Come up with a plan
  • Identify which educational format works best for a specific person.
    • In class teaching / LinkedIN Learning / Books / Articles

Use learning and development plans

Workplace Learning
The learning we learn on the job and for the job.

1. Map out skills needed.
2. Find classes or workshops that teach the needed skills.

Learning Opportunities

• Classes
• Workshops
• Extended learning at local college
• Online learning
• Partnering with teammates
• Company lunch and learn
• Nonprofit volunteering
• Social events
• Subject matter expert

Action Plan

• List needed skills or processes
• Seek out learning opporutnities
• Create a timeline
• Determine accountability plan

Why managers should help their employees learn

Employees want to learn and upskill.

• 80% of employees are confident they can adapt to new emerging technologies in the workforce.
• 87% of companies say their workforce has a digital skills gap.
• 77% of employees are ready to learn new skills or completely retrain.
• 40% of workers improved their skills during the pandemic.

1. Determine skills needing enhancement.
2. Seek out learning opportunities.
   • Internal learning and development
   • Local colleges
   • Online lerning
3. Figure out budget.

Investing in Employee Upskilling

• More efficiency
• More innovation
• Helps the bottom line

Anticipate the learning needs of your employees

Watch your team and anticipate what they need.

Identify the gaps.

Consider what might be causing your employee to stress.

Communities of practice

• Share ideas
• Gather socially
• Discuss challenges
• Connect on opportunity
• Ask questions

Benefits of a Community

• Makes work less isolating
• Offers more independence.

The benefits of stretch assignments

True learning occurs right outside the comfort zone.

Stretch Assignments
Tasks that offer greater responsibility while learning a new skill.

1. Figure out what skill is needed.
2. Try something new.

Employee Benefits to Stretch Assignments

• Learn new skills
• Exposure to new areas and people
• Help reimagine capabilities

Employer Benefits to Stretch Assignments

• Low-cost toll for employee development
• Creates opportunities for leadership roles and succession considerations.

Check-In

• Ask how the assignment is going
• Are there areas of excitement?
• Are there challenging areas?
• Ask if they have any questions.

When to let team members “just try it”

Experiential Learning
Trying new things and adjusting as needed in real time based on the reality of the situation.

Coach your team to dream big

“We’ve always done it that way”

Innovation is simply doing something a little different.

Taxi and Hotels -> Uber and AirBnB

Thing about Old Problems in a New Way

1. What is a product or process that you think could be made more efficient?
2. Create an empathy map.
   • List what people say, do, think and feel about a particular product or porcess
3. Develop a mind map.
4. Consider potential blind spots.

Help your team think differently

McKinsey Study

• Ethnically diverse teams have bottom lines that are 35% ahead of the industry average
• Gender-diverse teams have a bottom line that is 15% better than their industry mean.

Mix up your team

• Hire people with varied experienced
• Consider including additional people on projects

Support struggling employees

1. Focus on the why.
2. Break down the big project.
3. See if they need some clarification, new ideas, or just a break.
4. See if they need to put it aside.

The power of mentors

76% of people understand that mentors are critical for their success, but only 37% of people actually have a mentor.

1. Recommend other potential mentors
   • People inside or outside your industry
   • Seniors and juniors
2. Make the introduction
   • Explain the connection
3. Have a development conversation
   • Discuss learning resources

The role of sponsors

1. Talk about them when they are not in the room.
2. Make recommendations
   • Choice asisgnments
   • Promotions
   • Awards
   • Special committees
3. Show your network that you believe in this person.
4. Encourage them to apply to open positions.

The coaching manager

• Goal
• Reality
• Obstacles or opportunities
• Will

Goal
What are the long and short-term goals?

Reality
What are the current circumstances?

Options
What could you realistically do? What are you strengths? How can you play to them?

Obstacles
Whare the roadblocks?

Will
What will you do next?