A rewarding, fulfilling career path: this simple concept is something that most working individuals desire but many never achieve. Why is that? It might be that defining success is unique to the individual. What satisfies one may dissatisfy another. However, in the CPG/retailer industry, success has traditionally been defined as “climbing the ladder” and “making it” to the top of your field. But this one size fits all approach is devoid of individuality, and I am personally thrilled to see that the industry is beginning to shift to more customizable career pathing. As this shift happens, consider how impactful it could be if leaders knew how to ensure they were helping to maximize their teammates to their fullest potential. In my personal experience as an employee, I have found that I was able to elevate my performance and be more fulfilled in my role when others invested in me. In turn, I have also found a strong passion in helping unlock potential in others.
Here are a few concepts I try to focus on to achieve this goal:
- Get to know your teammates – I mean actually get to know them. If you are in sales, you know we are trained to do this for our customers and clients. Why wouldn’t we invest at least that much time in the people on our teams? Find out what motivates and inspires them. What is their best way to learn? What type of work do they enjoy or hate? What type of work do they want to be doing in the next five to ten years? Try to get them focused on the work they want to do, not the title they want to have.
- Invest in their future – After you have learned what makes them tick and what they aspire to do, now you need to help them get there (the fun part!). What are their areas of strength, and are there creative ways that you can help them to maximize those? Where do they have gaps that will need to be filled in order to reach their career aspirations? Could those gaps be solved with mentoring, training, and project work, or will they need a different career pathing plan? Find meaningful projects that they can work on that fit with their desires and strengths, but don’t ignore ways that stretch them in their opportunity areas. For example, if you have someone who desires to be in a direct selling role but hates negotiating or presenting in groups, that doesn’t mean that they can’t acquire those skills over time with your assistance. It is your opportunity to help them find ways that they can develop those skills. This takes time and intentionality, but remember, you can also enlist others to help you support them along the way.
- Give them the power to fail—in small ways – If you are managing this person, you must give them enough space to learn and grow, which means sometimes you have to get out of the way (no micromanaging!). There is a thin line between letting someone fail and not setting someone up for success. The trick is to allow them enough space on the right type of work that doesn’t require as much oversight and isn’t as high risk or high profile. An example might be having them focus on an internal project to hone a skill before working on a more complex or externally facing project. People who are good at this can scope out and see the future potential of a teammate. They are investing in the long-term success of that teammate, not just the short-term value that the individual can provide in the role.
- Give and ask for feedback – This step is critical. It is always easier to choose not to give the tough feedback. It’s just as easy not to remember to give positive feedback along the way. As Brené Brown says in her book Dare to Lead, “Clear is kind. Unclear is unkind.” Pretty simple but it’s true. Feedback is a critical component of unlocking potential. Without it, the person you are investing in will have a blind spot that can cause them bigger issues later. At Harvest Group, we have a strong feedback culture. We give lots of praise, but we also openly talk about our mistakes and how we can get better, as individuals and as an organization. This only works if everyone trusts each other and is “for” each other. If you work in an organization where you can’t do that, at least offer feedback and trust with your teammates, and hopefully it will start to grow a strong culture within your area of the company.
- People development before business management – If you read that sentence and cringed, then this part is for you. If you are a senior leader with a large team, it is easy to get focused on hitting the number, meeting your KPIs, etc. Sometimes we can drop the ball as leaders by focusing primarily on business management and letting people development take a backseat. The short-term gains may feel like it is paying out, but the long-term ROI can hurt your company, your people, and leave you unfulfilled. I’ve worked for four companies over my career, and at some point, each of them said, “People are our biggest and most important asset.” It’s an aspirational thing to say, but few companies actually come through on that promise because it’s a difficult thing to do. At Harvest Group, we strive to fulfill that promise as it is part of our Mission Statement and is truly the lifeblood of the company. That doesn’t mean that we get it right every time, but we try to always keep our people as our highest priority. If you focus on developing your people first, the business growth will follow. Time is our most precious resource as leaders, so make your deposits meaningful. Find ways to develop and invest in others in large or small group settings and enlist others inside and outside your organization to help as well.
- Catch and release – Releasing a strong employee into a new role can be one of the hardest and most satisfying parts of a leader’s job. It requires humility, strength and wisdom. What is so great is few experiences are more satisfying than watching someone you invested in meet and exceed their personal and career goals. And you got to help them along the way! I always tell people that once they have worked for me, I’m invested. It’s true! I keep in touch with many people from my past companies and I still want to help them succeed. I also have colleagues and mentors still investing in me (thank goodness!). Don’t hold people back from achieving their goals, even if it means that it may be harder on you or your team in the short-term.
Everyone’s career journey can and should look very different. I am thankful for the people who have invested in me personally and professionally and are still challenging me daily to unlock and maximize my potential. My challenge to you is this: pay it forward. Invest in others the way someone invested in you, or the way you wish someone had. And if you’re just starting out but desire to invest more intentionally in others, consider choosing one person and one item from the list above to focus on in Q4.
Kathryn Allison
*Executive Vice President, Walmart & Sam’s Club Team – Harvest Group
*Title and company of the author reflect their position at the time article was written
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