In business, I’ve found that employers are much quicker to give negative feedback to their employees and point out what the employee is doing wrong. On the other hand, the old adage, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” applies to employers when it comes to actually creating a professional development plan to get employees to grow and be successful in their careers. Let’s discuss aligning your staff for success using a professional development plan.

In my legal career, I often remember being told what I was doing wrong. I also remember taking this feedback in as eagerly as I possibly could because I wanted to be better. I was always stumped, though. I remember wondering to myself, “well when are they going to tell me what I can do to get better and what my plan should be to grow here as a lawyer?”. It never happened. As I grew into my legal career, it really never happened because the assumption was that I had it all figured out, given all my experience. Right? Wrong. The result was that I was not as clear as I could have been about my strength, brand and goals. I was also not that my employer cared much about me.

Employers, understandably, want to hire and retain staff who do their job well and thus, lead to increased growth and productivity. Unfortunately, my consulting experience shows that employers’ focal point is on what the employees are doing wrong. This puts the emphasis on the negative and drives down employee morale. Low employee morale leads to low employee productivity. This is then the opposite result of what the employers were after.

What’s the solution?

I suggest all employers follow these steps for ultimate growth and brand success:

• Develop each individual employee’s brand-in this way, you can identify the employee’s strengths, story and weaknesses.

• Develop the business brand- now that you know the employee’s individual brand, the employer must take all those brands, push them to the top and create a corporate/business brand that sells outward well. Within this part, employers get to identify the business values, mission and align the business purpose with the employees’ brand purpose.

•  Develop a Professional Development Plan for each employee- now is the time to develop the professional development plan for each employee. Do not focus on the negative, but rather stop and assess what the employee is doing well and how can that work into their: a) job roles and b) future growth dreams and desires at your company. Discuss this with the employees and find alignment and an action plan.

Is this process fast and easy? No. It never will be and never should be. Branding is a marathon, not a sprint. Branding requires a solid and healthy foundation. This three-step process is foundational. Nothing foundation is fast and easy, nor simple. One thing I promise you is that it is key to your business growth and success.

Got questions or issues? Download this guide or reach out to me for a 15-minute call.

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