Getting Development Into The Workflow
Improving What and How We Work Through Practices of Development
A few weeks ago, I posted something on LinkedIn about how to help employees, especially those with less experience or those who are earlier in their career get the “sets and reps” they need in order to do their job.
While I think holding individuals accountable for performance is important, many organizations do not nearly do enough to help their employees get the practice they need to perform.
Think of it like an athlete being expected to play in the Olympics without having ever trained, and that is often what you see in how many organizations set up their employees.
The LinkedIn team really liked the post, which turned into an even snazzier one that they shared on their page. Trying to practice my mindset of “sense and respond,”
I spent a little bit more time clarifying my thoughts and ideas on this topic, and I wanted to share some of my thinking in a post.
A Changing Workplace Requires Consistent Development
Let’s face it. We are all a work in progress, and none of us have all the knowledge, skills, and abilities to do every single task or project that is assigned to us.
Furthermore, the workplace moves so fast that we’re often put in positions where we have to do things or solve problems that we don’t always have all the answers to. This is not a problem and is normal, but how do we ensure our employees have the confidence to tackle challenges?
One option we have and rely upon for this is learning. In many organizations, the learning and development team/HR team is responsible for supporting employees' learning and development so they can do their jobs effectively.
While those teams and departments are important, most employees spend far more time outside of formal learning experiences (ex, workshops, training, leadership development) than they do within them. So, while those experiences should continue to play a role, that can only take us so far in helping our employees achieve their goals.
So what about the other parts of the time? Where else can employees get the learning, knowledge, and skills they need to tackle their job and do it well? How do we equip and empower employees to have the confidence to proactively ask for help or generate opportunities for themselves to solve problems and generate solutions without having to ask their manager for help each time?
Introducing PODs: Incorporating Practices of Development for Employees
One way to do this is to redesign work and incorporate practices of development (PODs). These are specific actions and digestible designs around work that can be incorporated into what an employee works on and how an employee gets work done so that they can gain the knowledge, skills, and capabilities to do their job and also develop themselves to rise to their potential abilities.
Think of these as little interventions that you, as an organization, can encourage in how the work gets done inside your company. While many of these are things that leaders can do and incorporate, there are many benefits from individual contributors, especially those who work in cross-functional roles, being able to use these when they are leading teams, even when they don’t have formal authority.
Examples of PODs
I’ve come up with a list of about 10-12 of my favorite PODs that I recommend and encourage organizations to use. I’m sharing them below, as well as some insights into how they might be incorporated into an employee’s workflow.
#1)Sets and Reps:
Description: Finding moments to apprentice employees, especially those who are more junior or new, to help them “learn through observing.”
How To Use It: When a new employee onboard, or when you are trying going to give an employee a net set of responsibilities, activities or deliverables
#2)Paired Programming
Description: Pairing up an employee with another employee when they take on a new task to help them get up to speed
How To Use It: Assign a new project or task to one of your employees and pair them up with a more senior member of your team or in the organization who is currently doing the task or activity.
#3)Learning Log
Description: Getting your employees to create a template to track their learnings and having them update it regularly. The log can include 1) what an employee is working on 2) what an employee has learned and 3) what questions an employee has
How to Use It: In your 1:1 doc with your employees, create a new template that a section specifically for a learning log
#4)Bullpen Sessions
Description: Bringing together employees who have similar roles and helping them think better and improve their work through feedback and social learning
#5)Learning Threads
Description: Creating a digital place for your team members to share their learnings and insights each week
How to Use It: Using Slack or Teams, create a #learning thread, and each week, at mention everyone to share one thing they learned that week. Debrief them as a team during your team meeting.
#6)Back Pocket Ideas
Description: An idea for a project or initiative that helps your team but also aligns with your interests and strengths
When To Use It: During quarterly planning or yearly planning and scoping, encourage each of your employees to share their priorities and then also to come up with 1 Back Pocket Idea. That way, if scoping allows for it, you can incorporate the best ideas into your priorities for the year or quarter
#7)Strengths Spotting
Description: Catching an employee “in the act” of using a strength or talent and encouraging them to find more ways to use that strength or talent
When To Use it: Ideally, right after it happens, but at a minimum, once a quarter (assuming that it is happening)
#8)Post Meeting Debrief
Description: Taking a new, or junior employee to a meeting, and spending time with them after the meeting to break down what happened
When To Use it: When there is a leadership meeting with your peers or your leaders (and if appropriate) bring someone else along to help them gain the knowledge and awareness of what is going on at a higher level. This helps provide more context to their work.
#9)Post-Project Debrief
Description: At the end of a project, doing a quick reflection exercise to document learnings, takeaways and find opportunities for improvement
When To Use It: When you are leading a cross-functional project and finish it. Or, when you are at the end of a quarter on a team-based project.
#10)Each One Teach One
Description: Bringing people together and allowing them to share their talents and insights with one another. Everyone gets a chance to teach one thing to the group/team that is related to their work.
When To Use It: When you want to improve collaboration and teamwork on your team. When you are trying to foster cohesion or connection (offsite, in-person experience)
#11)Ride Alongs
Description: Getting your employees to spend time with their end stakeholder to help them understand their role. Having them “shadow” that stakeholder around so they can better understand their lived experience
When To Use it: When your team is in an “enabling” or supporting role with a clear stakeholder. Or, when your team is in a highly cross-functional role, with many stakeholders
Conclusion: Improving What and How We Work Can Create Opportunities for Growth
With small tweaks and purposeful actions for how we design and structure our work, we can create more engaging work experiences that allow people to do what they do best: use their talents and skill to make contributions.
If you are using practices of development already or if you have other suggestions I would love to hear what you are doing that is working!
If you’re looking for some help for your learning and development, leadership development or professional development for this year, I’d love to work with you: Here is how I might be able to assist:
Team Trainings & Professional Development: Happy to facilitate training or professional development opportunity for your team & organization - common topics include: influence without authority, navigating change, hybrid working, and others.
Consulting & Advisory Work - Are you looking to improve the ways of working of your team or organization or looking for guidance on remote/hybrid work? Let’s chat about how we can work together
Leadership & Learning Programs: Formal training and leadership development in your company, such as new manager or new leader training, or skill-based programs.
Feel free to contact me directly for more details!
Have a great week!
Al
I love how you broke out PODs with such catchy names and easy to understand descriptions. I find that half battle is getting buy in and you make it that much easier.