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Grow Their Roles

JOB ENRICHMENT provides team members with additional duties and an increased level of work content and responsibility. For example, a team member’s task that was previously observed closely by you may now be carried out with more autonomy. In effect, the work itself becomes a source of motivation for the individual. Advantages noted by some are an increase in job satisfaction, decrease in costs, increase in the quality of work, increase in the quantity of output, and decrease in monotony. A natural challenge to job enrichment is that not all employees react the same or want the same out of their careers. Nonetheless, this is a simple way to develop those around you and tap into their passion (see Tip #12: Tap into Their Passion, Unleash the Energy and Tip #14: Help Make Their Vision a Reality).

This is a process of discovery that requires you to spend time with team members to discern their leadership goals, the expectations they have of the organization, and any obstacles they’ve been experiencing. The process becomes a matching game between the perceptions of the employee and the needs of the organization. One caution: Think beyond your organization’s current needs. Consider what activities they may need to help them now and in the future. And one additional tip: If your organization has a strategic plan, use this as a connection point. Don’t rely on the executives having the wherewithal to engage this plan. It’s up to you to connect it to your employees. And leadership development is a great way to do so.

If you have team members who need to improve their project management skills, perhaps they should lead a medium-level project. If you have team members who are afraid of public speaking, it might be good to get them out there doing just that. All of these are opportunities for growth and development. The key point is that these opportunities become an integral part of their jobs. It is rare that team members fall flat on their faces. With you by their side, you will support them in ways that they perhaps could not have imagined. You are the “guide on the side” instead of the “sage on the stage.” With this guiding process, your team members will be more in tune with their areas of development if taken out of their comfort zones.

A variation of this tip is to ask team members to take on small aspects of your job. What are the day-to-day tasks that eat up your time and that would serve as a developmental opportunity for someone on your team? Taking five to ten minutes to explain aspects of your job can save you hours in the long run.