Every leader, just about, is well intended—at least that’s my experience. Yet every so often I encounter a leader who has a tragic attitude towards their team members’ development.
Even if you’re a leader who doesn’t share this attitude, there’s something in this simple and straightforward bulletin for you…
What is this tragic attitude?
It’s that some leaders, mistakenly, believe that they can’t afford to develop their team members.
Time and again I see people—when they aren’t provided with development opportunities—performing far, far from their best, not adding enough value to their organisation and sometimes actually leaving for greener pastures.
You see, not spending on your team members will actually cost you. Especially when the team member is a team leader—because what ever you do or don’t do to develop leaders has a huge powerful multiplier effect on the organisation.
But is people development always worthwhile?
Well, this may surprise you, in some cases I don’t think that it is worthwhile.
Let’s investigate this with a quick flowchart…
Not Spending Money Isn’t Going To Save You Money In The Long Run
Your costs, when you don’t develop your team members, measured by higher staff turnover, staff disengagement and the opportunity cost related to less-than-optimal performance, will far outweigh the typical investment you’d make in developing them.
Independent organisational surveys keep revealing that “growth and development” is always in the top-three of team member’s needs…
So if the development needs of your team members aren’t being met, at best their discretionary effort will dwindle, or even more seriously, they’ll leave a lot sooner than you want them to.
Without development, metamorphosis won’t occur with your “hidden gems”—your team members who haven’t yet had opportunities to be polished. And without development your “shining stars” will be starved of the external stimulation they need to become even more brilliant.
Your Leadership Call to Action
Your call to action is also simple and straightforward…
Apply the decision flowchart above to each of your team members—and decide if you would benefit by spending money to save money.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Carolyn Stevens has worked with leaders for more than 25-years—hundreds of them.
She’s supported leader after leader (including those who previously struggled to confront the difficult, let alone persuasively deal with the it) flourish—and become confident, courageous and impressively influential.
Carolyn is authentic and results-oriented. She draws on an eclectic array of approaches, tools and techniques to suit the situation.
