Yes, the numbers don’t lie, we are gradually moving to an age of more short-term jobs, online gigs and freelance work, but that doesn’t make you shouldn’t be trying your best to turn good employees into long-term partners. In a sea of transient contracts, long-term relationships have become more valuable than ever. Think about it from an economic standpoint, the lower the supply of X, the greater its demand and value tends to become. By good employees, we mean the people you look forward to seeing when you start your workday, the person you’ll contact at an awkward hour when you need to confirm or request something, it’s those people in your team you can trust.
There are two sides of the career and success coin, and it’s important to find the intersection between them.
1. Individualise career-path
Each individual can have different objectives at different points in life. Part of career roadmapping should be understanding what the individual wants. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution for career roadmapping. One way you can guarantee an employee’s loyalty is by mapping out their goals and finding out where they intersect with your company’s goals.
Everyone has their own motivators, and if you want to help your employees upskill and bring new knowledge and skill sets into your business, you need to find out what they need to get there.”
2. Look for ways to provide more resources
Actively look for ways to give more resources and skills to your employees. The more they develop, the more unique skills they bring back into your company. Even if a particular skill may not be 100% directly relevant to your company’s needs, helping an employee actualise their goals creates happiness and loyalty – two qualities with incredible benefits for your team that money can’t buy.
Recognise that it’s likely that your employees already have a pretty good idea of the resources and skills they need; often, all you need is a wholesome conversation to find the right intersection between your needs and theirs.
A good employer will do their best to facilitate an employee’s ambitions and will be realistic enough to see the shorter-term benefits of investing in their development regardless of their long-term destination.
3. Look within for talent first
Stop valuing experience and precise qualifications before everything else when seeking to resolve a need. Fct is that, when motivated, a person can learn and absorb experience at a pace that will surprise you. Let employees make mistakes; let them get the additional training or mentoring, if necessary; but look internally for your talent.
Empower employees by promoting from within, and approach promotions with a hive mentality. If you have one employee ready to advance, who on that team can take their role?
4. Change the conversation from expectation to opportunity
Often, career paths are approached with an eye toward what each party can do to help the other. Let go of this mind-set and shift your point of view to a more collaborative and opportunities-driven approach by separating out performance and career path development meetings. By doing this, you allow a platform for the two to exist symbiotically.
For instance, an employee may find a special project or client that aligns with their skills and interests and volunteer to work on it. For an employer, maybe they proactively look for those types of projects for people too or find chances to create new roles that align with employee goals while also helping the company.
Create time and space for employees to talk about their career path development so they feel heard. When employees feel heard, their roadmaps will feel individualized to them, bringing us full circle.
Conclusion
Career roadmapping helps employees find their way, make an impact and deliver meaning to their professional lives. In turn, it helps employers support the growth of their teams and organizations. This process can be tricky, but by approaching each employee as an individual, empowering employees from within and looking for ways to give more resources to your teams, you’ll be on the path to success. Make sure you are retaining talent by working individually with employees to map their paths to the top of the mountain, one opportunity at a time.
