Preparing a Plan for Every Person

When I watched and listened to the stories of my students and the executives that I teach about when they’re at their best and when their people are at their best, we get a true sense of, what does talent look like? I hope you have had an exciting experience creating those kinds of stories, as well. Trying to create a passion with a purpose. Now it’s time to make a plan for every person. We’re gonna try and make a plan at least for one of your people. Look at your score. What do you need to improve on the A3E2 scale? And look at the score that you gave to your employee or your team member.

That one that you have been working out in throughout the course. What do they need according to the A3E2 model?

So please take a look at those forms that you created prior. And also think about are you exposing them to other people? Are you yourself being exposed to people in your companies? The A3E2 model works but it doesn’t work without having exposure in team or company.

People can have all five qualities. But if they’re in the corner, they might not shine like they could with true exposure.

We have to develop them, and this is our time to work on development plans.

But what is the formula for talent development? Do you know it? See, I imagine that this is Sheldon, the genius character on the Big Bang Theory, the only TV show that I watch. I’m addicted to it, I have to say. As a self-proclaimed nerd, having been called that most of my life, I can now own it. And Sheldon seems to know the formula. The formula for developing talent really has had a lot of research in the last century.

It showed us that to develop people, 70% of great development happens in what I have coined as the word assignmentology. Assignmentology is giving someone assignments where they learn and they practice new and important skills. 20% happens with the coaching and mentoring that I’ve mentioned. The important guidance that you can give to other people. And 10% of development of talent happens in other modes, like classes, like reading, like this online course. 70-20-10 is only directional. In fact, recent research indicates that coaching, mentoring and exposure in organizations, may in fact raise that segment of the pie, so to speak. Perhaps, 20 to 40% of talent development can happen through things.

That you can do with coaching and exposing your talented people to others. Again, assignmentology is the art of designing or creating learning experiences that give talented people the skills and abilities and opportunities to succeed. Hopefully not to fail but it’s always good to fail. We learn a lot from failing at assignments but be careful not to fail more than once in the same area. There are many assignments that can teach and assignments don’t have to be in another position. I don’t mean promoting somebody or moving them some other place. These kinds of assignments can happen right in place on the job. You can give people excellent opportunities for learning right in their own job.

Or maybe adjacent by spending some time with other people, spending some time shadowing people in other departments. This only takes your creativity to create a plethora of different kinds of assignments. Now they could be stretch assignments, like the one I did as a plant manager having never really worked toward being that before. But it could be doing something that you’ve never done, or the person you’re developing has never done, right in place.

It could be inside the company, it could be on a team, it could be outside the company.

I like to talk about stretch assignments, doing things that are bigger than you’ve ever done before. Maybe building something. Maybe opening something. Maybe stopping some process or system, closing it down. A lot of change management skills would be learned in doing something like that. Helping somebody to install a new culture or something with new products. Assigning people to task forces and putting them on new teams. Exchanging roles right in your department. Having people swap different assignments. Learn different roles maybe of their teammates. Creating a new production process or installing a new technology, leading a new team or a new department or representing the company outside on a board, maybe a non-profit board or maybe a for-profit board.

Having them work on an association in your company business. Lots of things can fulfill the role of the most important way to develop people, that of giving them greater assignments. Again, assignmentology. But do not forget to expose your talent to others. Don’t hold them from other opportunities. It doesn’t matter what you call it. It can be coaching, it can be mentoring, it can be sponsoring. What is sponsorship? Well, sponsoring somebody else, is really taking a look at them and seeing something in their future that maybe they haven’t even seen, and making sure you tell others about it.

So when somebody says oh I have an opening in my department and I can’t find the person all of the sudden a light bulb goes on and you say well I know somebody and they’re really great and these are the qualities they have and this is why they could do the job for you.

Sponsor them for the next role. Expose them. Talk, talk, talk. Communicate, communicate, communicate, find out what’s important to each of your people, and help them make it happen. This is part of engaging them, and it’s part of helping you to prepare talent for the future. The most important thing that you can do for your talent so they don’t walk out the door. The number one thing is to talk to them about their career. Career planning is a 50-50 deal. But you must to do about 75% to make it happen. Urge your people to think about what they want. You think about what you want. Help others reach their potential.

You will receive so much in return when you care about the others’ careers.

Now if you want a succinct definition in these terms, I will tell you. Coaching kind of happens in your same function, coaching somebody in the function. Mentoring happens, relationships happen over time. So it may be that you mentor somebody who used to be in your function that has moved on, that you have an affinity for and you want to see them grow in the world, and that’s what we call mentoring. And again, sponsorship is helping someone when they don’t even know it. Helping them into the future.

But what skills do you need to be effective to be a good coach and a good mentor?

Listening is absolutely critical. I heard you say it, at least I heard you think it. But observation Is critical also. Observe your people, your team members, get inside their heads. Know what they want, and address what they need. Do not assume, you know what they say about assumptions, get to the bottom of the truth. Get to the needs as far as A3E2. And create assignments that will teach them and give each person the coaching they need at the right times in their company. So that they know that you care about their careers. So that you fulfill the number one requirement of talking to people about their careers.

Obviously, this is not the leader that you want to be. Look closely. Look into the eyes of your talent and create that plan. That will help them to succeed. Or possibly to exceed even what they think is possible. Create a positive future for the talent that you are trying to develop and grow. And don’t forget the important 10%. You can even teach them something yourself. The leader teacher model is really a crucial role. We know from research that if you teach someone something, you bring them emotionally closer to you. What a simple thing to do. And when we teach someone something, we even learn it better ourselves. We know that.

Here is a planning document for you to create a plan for every person who you’re responsible for. Start with the person who you’ve been focusing on in this course. Or possibly focus on you, make a plan for you. Post your plans online. Remember, you don’t have to act in each category. This is what each person needs, and it’s differential, depending on the person. Only put things down where they’re needed. It may be possible that you really need to sit down with the person and talk to them even before starting this task. But try to fill out one plan for one person to practice this simple task. That will take your leadership skills to the next level.

And possibly take your talented individual to their next level too.