Dear Spark,
One of the employees I manage is competent and talented. While I can see her being very successful at the company long term, she is early in her career and has a long way to go before she can assume any leadership role. This employee is very ambitious so she’s always looking for ways to stand out. For example, I provided funding for her to attend two conferences this year and she has already requested funding to attend two more next year. Meanwhile, employees who are more senior than she is and just as (if not more) deserving haven’t had such development opportunities. Internally, she keeps joining committees and special projects that have nothing to do with her real work but increase her visibility. Her productivity remains consistent but, when compared to her peers, the quality of her work isn’t as strong. How do I get this employee to focus less on her career goals so that she can invest more time in strengthening her technical competencies and overall performance? Signed, Willing to encourage within reason =================================== Dear Willing to Encourage, As an established leader, it is very gratifying to recognize a professional with the potential to become successful in your organization and it sounds like this particular employee is already showing some important leadership attributes. She is strategic, driven, and able to self-advocate – skills that are hard to teach and just as difficult to learn. It also sounds that, along the way, this employee adopted the idea that being highly visible is the fastest way to get ahead in the organization. While this may or may not be true, what matters is that you believe she will not be taken as seriously in your organization if she does not perform at a level that is acceptable to you and other decision makers like you. Your employee is motivated. Your job as a leader is to not destroy that. The opportunity before you is to help her understand that she needs to redirect her enthusiasm towards making sure that her technical performance is consistently stronger than it is today because the organization prioritizes performance over personal brand. Make it safe for her to hear this by getting some clarity for yourself around what, specifically, you want to see her excel at. If you are not sure, conduct a peer-based competency assessment so that you can get concrete feedback on her work, which will allow you some objectivity as well. Since she is already enthusiastic and committed, begin the conversation with the fact that her energy and drive are important strengths that will continue to serve her well. Follow by stating that performance excellence is central to every professional’s credibility and, at this stage of her career, she will be more strategic by focusing on increasing her technical mastery. Once you have a sense that the employee understands what you are asking of her and is willing to deliver, go over the competency assessment – both her technical strengths as well as area that show gaps. Discuss with her a way forward and agree on a development plan that has targets and timeline. Follow up with her regularly to make sure you are providing adequate support and guidance so that she is positioned to follow through on the development plan. Lastly, you mention that you think this employee has received a disproportionate amount of opportunities for development and visibility. The fact that she is able to go to conferences or have a seat on committees, simply by virtue of asking, signals structural gaps in the way the organization approaches employee performance management. The cost to leaders like yourself is that employees might conclude that favoritism is at play, which is erosive to your leadership credibility and corrosive to the organization’s culture. Find other leaders and influencers open to a conversation about taking a candid look at how learning and employee development happens in the organization and begin to put agreements in place so that, together, you can move the needle closer to an organizational structure and culture that encourage and support all employees to be motivated and stellar contributors.
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11/15/2022 16:17:22
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