A continual learning culture is essential if you want to achieve sustainable business growth
An established structure and strategy are important when running an organisation but developing new ideas should also be a focus. Becoming too comfortable, or reliant on the information and processes you already have can make your company sluggish in its reaction to changing circumstances, or emerging trends. This lack of agility can lead to stagnation, and beyond this decline. The most successful businesses challenge their current operations and invest in fresh initiatives to maintain or improve their performance.
Some leaders may see spending on training as an expense but this an attitude that will detrimentally affect their organisation. Time and money spent on training current employees is better viewed as an investment for the future. Staff with the facility to learn new skills will be of greater practical use to the company and be more engaged. Without the resources or encouragement to develop its employees, a business risks become a stepping-stone with poor staff retention rates, and low productivity.
Investment in training is necessary if an organisation intends to grow; delegating tasks effectively and sharing responsibility must be present to ensure efficiency. If a leader remains at the centre of all decisions and processes, this will cause an overload which will restrict improvement. Therefore, having employees who can develop and diversify their skillsets is a real asset.
Promoting from within is an option that many businesses overlook, and has a number of advantages:
An existing member of staff will most likely have the attributes you look for, otherwise they wouldn’t have been employed initially. If you choose a new candidate you can never be certain that they will fully align with your values, however well they came across in the interview.
It is both quicker and cheaper to promote internally than recruit externally. Current employees already buy into your mission and vision if they have put themselves forward for a new role.
The promoted staff member will have extra commitment and loyalty to the company, as you are demonstrating their value and your belief in their potential.
Of course, promoting an internal candidate is not always the best option and sometimes not an option at all. However, by showing you have a bias towards internal rather than external candidates, you create a spirit of confidence within your organisation that will resonate across your workforce and other stakeholders.
Encourage your employees to explore new directions and do not chastise them if things go wrong. Certainly, chances should not be taken if they seem too costly or volatile, but calculated risks, that have the potential to succeed with a minimal cost, should be advocated. Sticking strictly to procedure will not result in a fresh outcome and can sometimes restrict creativity.
A business that rewards original thinking will cultivate more productive thought; this can only be achieved when a no-blame culture exists. This piece of advice cannot be mapped simply onto every organisation; the degree of appropriate agency and accountability will vary from company to company. The overriding theme is it is not worth reprimanding an employee so it will negatively affect the engagement of others.
Does your business having a training structure in place so employees can develop their skills? Have you considered that a potential leader could be within your staff? How could you encourage original thinking within your organisation?