“We must open the doors of opportunity. But we must also equip our people to walk through those doors.”
Lyndon B. Johnson
Over recent month’s we’ve been taking a closer look at each of the elements of our exclusive Success Through People© Model . This month’s focus is on Equipping Others.
So What’s it all About?
Staff need to have the necessary knowledge, skills, experience and personal attributes to make their best possible contribution. Learning and development activities within the business need to be effectively managed and clearly linked to business outcomes. Managers need to, for example:
- clearly understand the capabilities that will contribute to success
- be aware of, assess and utilise the current capabilities of their employees
- promptly address current and potential future shortfalls
- identify and nurture talent.
And Equipping Others makes a “bottom line” difference – one study quoted by Queensland Government Corporate Business Solutions for example, revealed that staff who receive formal training can be up to 230% more productive than their untrained colleagues working in the same role!
Tips:
So if you want to improve business performance by better Equipping Others, here are a few tips to get you started:
- When reviewing business plans, make a point to ask yourself: what skills, knowledge, experience and personal attributes will we need to achieve these plans? To what extent do they currently reside within the business? Do we need to further develop our current people and/or supplement our current capabilities by bringing in new staff and/or seeking external support?
- Define the skills, knowledge, experience and personal attributes required for successful performance in each role. Develop a simple matrix to assess the current capabilities of staff members against relevant requirements, then work with them to develop clear action plans to address any gaps.
- Think broadly when considering how to address capability gaps within your current team: consider, for example, the merits of on the job training, mentoring, involvement in special projects, attendance at seminars and workshops, online learning and/or encouraging and perhaps even supporting staff undertaking tertiary studies.
Keen to see how your business/organisation is doing in terms of the Success Through People(c) Model? Take our free STP Scorecard and receive a comprehensive, personalised report with tips and tools to help you and your business achieve Success Through People.