A Guide to the Sixth Element of Employee Engagement: Encouraging Employees to Grow Professionally

Today marks the halfway point of our ongoing series covering Gallup’s Element of Employee Engagement! To recap on the previous entries, click the links down below, or read on to check out our latest entry:

• “There is someone at work that encourages my development.”

James Cash Penney, the founder of J.C. Penney, is quoted as saying, “Growth is never by mere chance; it is the result of forces working together.” 

But what does that mean for the relationship between you and your employees?

It highlights the symbiotic relationship of professional growth. Employees can’t be engaged and invested in your business if treated like “cogs” in a machine; instead, it’s part of being a good leader to recognize and nurture their aspirations, potential, and drive to evolve. With your willingness to invest in encouraging employees to grow professionally, you’re positioning yourself as a supportive mentor while also fortifying the long-term health of your organization. 

We hope you’ll find these insights and tips into why nurturing professional growth is helpful as you continue to improve your business practices. 

Defining the Sixth Element: What Does Professional Development Look Like?

Unlike the basic training that your employees receive at the beginning of their employment, ongoing professional development focuses on preparing your team for potential future opportunities.

The methods of how you go about encouraging employees to grow professionally can take many forms, some of which might include: 

• Individual Development Plans (IDPs): This development plan comprises a personalized roadmap that outlines an employee’s career goals and the steps needed to achieve them, which the employee and their leader create collaboratively. The goal is to align personal aspirations with the organization’s needs, whether upskilling beyond a current role or preparing them for a lateral move in anticipation of upcoming turnover.
• Executive or Leadership Coaching Programs: One of the most powerful things you can do when encouraging your employees to grow professionally and show you care about their long-term success is pairing them with an executive or leadership coach. These programs focus on grooming mentees with critical leadership skills, from communicating effectively to decision-making. Better yet, because these coaches come from outside the organization, they bring a third-party perspective that can challenge their assumptions about what they are and are incapable of doing. 
• Cross-Departmental Projects and Job Rotation: Another highly effective method for broadening an employee’s skill set is letting them expand their horizons within the organization, stepping out of their usual roles to take on new challenges. Not only do these experiences let them tap into new skills and knowledge, but they also encourage interdepartmental collaboration. 
• Professional Certifications: When first starting with expanding your professional development programming, professional certifications are an easy place to start because they’re highly structured, with clear objectives and a tangible recognition of growth. Of course, you have to be willing to show your commitment and support for those efforts with financial backing, at the very least. You’ll reap the rewards, too, as certifications in project management, IT, or any other area mean that the employees with that credential are more agile within the organization. 

What’s the Difference Between Professional Training and Professional Development?

Professional training and professional development might seem interchangeable when discussed in passing, but they serve different purposes. 

Professional training is typically more immediate and focused, designed to equip employees with the specific skills they need to perform their current job duties. As such, it’s mandatory and tied directly to job performance.

Professional development is focused on preparing employees for the future, whatever that might look like– Moving into a new role, taking on leadership responsibilities, becoming more versatile, etc. It’s also typically self-directed, with employees taking the initiative to pursue learning opportunities that align with their career goals.

What’s the Employer’s Role in Professional Growth?

Get Involved 

First and foremost, you can’t expect that professional growth will just passively happen. You need to be hands-on and have meaningful conversations with your team members about their goals and aspirations. What do they want to do? Where do they see themselves in five years? Your genuine interest in the answers to those questions builds trust and encourages your employees to take the initiative. 

Actively Seek Out Opportunities 

Be proactive in searching for workshops, seminars, conferences, online courses, or whatever other development opportunities could benefit your team, then encourage them to attend so they can apply what they’ve learned to their role. You can also focus your efforts internally on assignments that require them to stretch past their current abilities, then give them the appropriate recognition when they succeed. 

Create Space for Employees to Celebrate

Growth is hard work, and it deserves recognition. When your employees reach milestones, celebrate their achievements! You can check out our recent piece, “A Guide to the Fourth Element of Employee Engagement: Recognition and Praise,” for recommendations on how to reward your employees for being willing to grow. 

Lead by Example

Finally, remember that your actions speak louder than words. If you want your team to prioritize professional growth, you must do the same. Even if you’re already at the top, there’s always more room to grow, demonstrating that means your employees are more likely to follow suit. 

Overcoming the Challenges of Encouraging Employees to Develop Professionally 

While certainly worth the effort, there’s no denying that there will always be challenges when you take your first tenuous steps to try anything new with your employees. You can ease the transition by being aware of and preparing for the two most likely points of contention to pop up:

Balancing Workload and Development

One of the biggest obstacles to professional development is time, specifically the lack of it. Employees are often stretched thin, juggling their day-to-day responsibilities with tight deadlines and high expectations on top of everything they manage in their personal lives. 

You can get development programs off on the right foot by simply acknowledging the challenge, making it clear that you understand the demands on their time, and that you’re committed to supporting them in managing their workload and their development. Speak with your team about how you can be flexible and willing to try out their ideas. You’ll learn what works and what doesn’t as you go.

Resistance to Change

No matter where you are on the leadership ladder, stepping out of your comfort zone can be a scary experience. That fear can create resistance from your employees, who worry that their efforts won’t be rewarded or that they won’t be able to succeed at what you’re asking them to do. As a leader, you can quell that resistance when you take the time to answer their questions and assure them that you’ll be there to provide supportive encouragement along the way. The goal is to shift them from having a fixed mindset to a growth mindset that is just as committed to continuous learning as you are. 

Encouraging Employees to Grow Professionally Starts at the Top

Professional growth isn’t something that happens in isolation. It requires intention, resources, and a culture that supports continuous learning, and you are responsible for setting the tone. When employees see that their leaders are invested in their future, they feel valued and motivated to invest in themselves.

However, this journey must start with you– Someone who is ready to lead by example and support continuous learning as a core value. When you’re ready to strengthen your leadership skills in preparation for leading a professional growth initiative, start by conversing with Lori Moen. 

As a business leader, she’s worked in both the corporate world and sales management, all while adding to her own CV of skills, including becoming a Certified Value Builder Advisor, Certified Professional Coach, Certified Exit Planning Advisor, and a member of the International Coaching Federation. She knows what growth looks like, and she can help you recognize opportunities for it within your organization.