Targeted employee skills development is essential for managers today in order to sustainably strengthen the performance of teams. Leaders in particular have a special responsibility because they not only have to grow themselves, but also support their employees in the best possible way. Employee skills development is therefore a key factor in promoting potential, utilising opportunities and successfully shaping change.
Why employee skills development is essential for leaders
Leaders are faced with the challenge of recognising and developing the diverse skills of their employees. Expertise alone is not enough today. Social skills, methodological skills and self-management are just as important. Systematic employee competence development provides managers with tools and strategies to specifically address individual development needs.
For example, production managers rely on on-the-job training when introducing new technologies in order to expand their technical expertise in a practical way. At the same time, project managers use coaching measures to improve team communication and collaboration. Team leaders in the service sector also frequently report that a mix of workshops and mentoring is particularly effective for skills development.
BEST PRACTICE with one customer (name hidden due to NDA contract) An international financial company supported its managers with targeted transruption coaching during the restructuring process. The coaching supported the leaders in proactively integrating employee skills development into their daily work processes and thus successfully shaping the change process.
Methods and practical approaches to employee skills development
There are numerous methods available for effective employee skills development. The decisive factor is the selection of suitable instruments that are tailored to the respective situation and target group.
On-the-job development: learning in the work process
Direct involvement in the work process promotes learning through experience. Employees in industry thus improve their technical skills, for example when operating new machines. In the IT sector, project work with new tools strengthens methodological expertise. In sales, too, managers often use job rotation to increase adaptability and product knowledge.
Coaching and mentoring as individual development support
In coaching, managers or external coaches support employees in reflecting on their strengths and challenges. This creates targeted development impulses that go beyond specialist expertise, for example in the area of leadership skills or communication. Mentoring focusses on the transfer of experience and knowledge from experienced colleagues. One sales manager, for example, learnt to use complex negotiation strategies more effectively through mentoring.
Workshops and training for structured learning
Targeted seminars can systematically impart specialised knowledge and soft skills. Production managers benefit from lean management workshops to make processes more efficient. HR managers use conflict resolution training to promote social skills in teams. Digital training formats also enable flexible learning in terms of time, which favours implementation in various sectors.
Transruption coaching as support for employee skills development
Transruption coaching starts precisely where change processes and skills development intertwine. Leaders experience it as valuable support when they are accompanied in analysing their skills requirements, planning development measures and implementing them. This makes it easier to overcome resistance and integrate new skills more sustainably.
For example, a manager from a medium-sized company used transruptions coaching to strengthen her team's communication skills during a digital transformation. The coaching impulses helped to reduce uncertainties and develop solutions together.
Managers in the healthcare sector also report that the accompanying development of employee competences reduces stress and increases job satisfaction.
Practical tips for managers to promote employee skills development
Managers can actively support employee skills development by implementing the following approaches:
- Carry out regular skills analyses to identify development needs.
- Agree individual development plans that motivate and challenge employees.
- Combine a variety of learning formats, e.g. practical exercises, coaching and e-learning.
- Establish an open feedback culture that promotes continuous learning.
- Make successes visible and recognise them with appreciation.
A manufacturing company benefited in the long term when managers there offered targeted development opportunities and employees were given a variety of learning opportunities in projects. In this way, skills development was organised in a lively and practical way.
My analysis
Employee skills development is a dynamic and multi-layered process that proves to be the key to sustainable success, especially for leaders. Through the targeted promotion of professional and social skills, managers can enable their teams to master challenges competently and develop continuously. The integration of methods such as on-the-job training, coaching and workshops creates a solid basis for learning and growth. It has also been shown that accompanying approaches such as transruption coaching provide valuable impetus for shaping development processes effectively and personally. Overall, employee skills development not only supports individual careers, but also the company's goals and the organisation as a whole.
Further links from the text above:
Skills development: definition + successful examples [1]
11 Employee development methods & benefits [2]
What is skills development? - teamazing Lexicon [3]
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