In 2016, the recruiting firm surveyed a diverse group of hiring managers, working professionals, and job seekers.
Asked to rank a list of job characteristics in order of importance, most employers put salary and benefits at the top of the list.
But given the same choices, over half of the employees and prospective hires cited opportunity for professional development as the number one factor in deciding whether or not to accept a job.
This emphasis on growth is supported by a 2017 LinkedIn survey, which found that 56percent of workers stay with their current employer when there are opportunities to improve their skills.
The number one priority employees are looking for is personal growth.
If you’re leading a team, make sure to account for your employee’s individual development during the goal setting process.
If you can align professional goals with the personal goals of your people, they will be more motivated daily, drive better results, and provide more value to the company.
Employees want opportunities to be challenged — to learn and develop.
Those kinds of opportunities are often why they choose or remain in their jobs.
That’s why you should incorporate your employees’ personal goals in the goal-setting process.
Here’s how you can help your people set goals for personal growth:
1. Ask about personal goals
To start, ask each member of your team about their personal desires, interests, and goals. Discuss ways to incorporate those personal goals into their professional ones.
As long as your team’s overall objectives aren’t compromised, chances are you’ll be able to make adjustments that can help the person achieve their goals.
For example, imagine your employee has a passion for teaching, only that doesn’t factor into their current role.
As part of your goal-setting process, you could work together to create opportunities for them to train their colleagues.
2. Draft an IDP
To formally map out each employee’s aspirations, draft an Individual Development Plan, or IDP, with them.
An IDP compiles the person’s strengths, weaknesses, goals, desired skills, and development activities — all in one place.
There are four components to an IDP, which you can find on the guide on the next card.
3. Look for everyday learning opportunities
Aside from the IDP process, there are also more informal ways of stimulating learning in your people.
For example, you might talk to employees about the challenges and opportunities facing your team, invite their questions, and find out what they would like to learn from projects.
Also look for ways for them to interact or collaborate with peers from other departments.
Take the next steps:
Work with your people to identify goals that make sense for the team, but also for each employee’s own career development.
And don’t forget to check in regularly about their evolving career goals.
