Caliper: What has been your biggest challenge with individual development?

Deborah Scott: Our biggest challenge around individual development has been trying to tailor development to meet the needs of each individual. You have the movers and shakers that want to jump from A-Z in a day, you have those that are content with the status quo, and then there are the others that are somewhere in between. Keeping all of these individuals engaged and feeling like their needs are being met is a challenge.

"The 360 confirmed they were on the right track."

Caliper: How has Caliper Canada helped?

Deborah Scott: The 360 process is ideal for helping to implement development plans. Our senior management team are advocates for the 360 process.

The Caliper 360 really helped our managers see things through a much wider lens. We all have blind spots that we are unaware of – getting feedback not just from managers but peers and subordinates too is very valuable. Also, because the process is anonymous, it gives employees an opportunity to be heard in a safe environment. This builds trust and provides a more accurate picture.

For our managers who had been through the 360 before (we did the process two years ago), it provided them with feedback on the plans they had put into action at that time. It confirmed they were on the right track and they were able to see the benefits of the changes they had made. For new managers, it was a great way to get feedback from their team and provide insights into how they could improve their management style.

The Caliper 360 process provided us with both subjective and objective information to help identify issues. Often concerns are not dealt with because there simply isn't enough information or nothing to relate it back to. Having the 360 feedback makes it easier to have those difficult conversations.

It's one thing to have your performance review annually. With the 360, it's almost like opening up your kimono – it's invaluable to have that knowledge. For us it was a very positive experience.

Caliper: What is your philosophy on individual development?

Deborah Scott: I believe individual development needs to be driven by the individual. Often times employees think the company will and should do it for them. Some cultures are more open and have more development processes in place. Regardless of the culture, if you are driven, you will make it happen no matter what the circumstances.

A lot of managers are not good at developing their team. A keen employee that pushes the envelope will help that manager become a better coach. Your career destiny ultimately is your responsibility.

Caliper: What do you see as a "top priority" in individual development either in your organization or overall for 2010?

Deborah Scott: One of the big things with development, especially with younger generations, is identifying more on-the-job opportunities as opposed to every development being a step up. Lateral training, transfers, job sharing; they all provide opportunities to get a good cross section of knowledge. Not opportunities for promotion per se – these are more for learning or development. If a chance comes up in an area you think you are interested in, this gives you an opportunity to put your toe in the water and try it out.

I also think knowledge sharing is huge. Tools like LinkedIn, Twitter, and social networking blogs are a big trend and provide a venue to share development knowledge.

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Organizations today move at a very fast pace and have to constantly adapt to a rapidly changing business environment. With limited time and increased pressure to deliver results, many managers tend to focus mainly on meeting business objectives and financial goals. People development can easily get sidetracked. Often, conversations with direct reports focus exclusively on the "what" – the results – rather than the "how" – ways the individual can develop to better meet objectives.

"Conversations about behaviour can be uncomfortable. By following these four steps, it becomes easier."

One reason this happens is because conversations about development can be subjective and, therefore, uncomfortable. Relying on an objective tool to drive the dialogue creates a common language between manager and direct report. This helps facilitate a meaningful development process.

In my experience, managers value having a framework to develop and coach their team. In talking with them I suggest these key steps:

1.  Make the connection
Miss this step and whatever you say will fall on deaf ears. We tend to respond better to people we trust. We tend to like people we have something in common with or who are like us. Recently, working with a large financial institution I conducted a 360 feedback on a new C-level manager. Many of her challenges were similar to her manager's when he first moved into a management role. Sharing his experience about how he grew into the role made this new manager more receptive to his feedback.

2.  Reposition strengths
There is a huge difference between trying to change people and helping them realize their potential. The C-level manager I mentioned earlier comes from an accounting discipline. Her Caliper Profile revealed her innate tendencies – she's a perfectionist with a high need for control and a strong sense of ownership. These are good qualities in an accounting function, but were playing against her in delegating to her team.

Her natural inclination was to perform tasks on her own, trying to minimize the potential for any mistakes. In discussion with her manager, we developed a delegation strategy that included her direct reports. By leaning on some of her strengths – her tendency to introduce structure, organization, and clear expectations – the new manager was able to come up with a delegation process.

This included asking her direct reports for input about responsibilities they felt they could take over, and established clear objectives, training requirements, and defined accountabilities. Setting these up made the process objective. It also provided the new manager with the information she needed to trust her staff could effectively accomplish the task at hand.

3.  Create an Individual Development Plan
It is easy to get distracted by the day to day demands of our job and forget to implement what we've learned, falling back into our old habits. A co-developed Individual Development Plan helps individuals stay on track. The plan should include realistic goals and time lines.

Keep in mind, getting too ambitious in your goals for change can be de-motivating. After all, we can only focus on a few things at a time. In order to succeed, we need to have focus, drive, self-discipline, support, and follow-through.

4.  Don't wait until the annual performance appraisal to provide feedback to your employees.
On-the-spot, ongoing feedback can reinforce positive change, acknowledge your employees' development efforts, and correct ineffective behavioural patterns. Managers often procrastinate on people development activities because of the discomfort I just mentioned. It can also be tempting for them to avoid sensitive issues when they feel they don't have enough time in their busy agendas.

Once you have set the main goals and Individual Developmental Plan, though, just spending 5 to 15 minutes in dialogue with your employee will solidify their learning. And that may be all it takes to make the change. After you have assessed your employee's performance during a meeting, presentation, or putting together an important report, take the time to provide valuable constructive feedback.

Success in today's fast-paced business world requires a workforce that is living up to or surpassing their potential. Often the innate characteristics and behaviours that helped us succeed in one role need to be repositioned for success in a different role. Instead, we tend to repeat what worked in the past and often struggle to figure out why it isn't working anymore.

Combining the Caliper Profile with the 360 provides objective, relevant insight into an individual's natural tendencies and how others perceive them. This provides the information to develop a solid Individual Development Plan to drive success.

No one goes to work actually wanting to do a bad job. Objective developmental feedback can help individuals understand what's at the root of ineffective behaviours or negative perceptions. This puts them in the driver's seat to effect change so they can achieve a more well-rounded, successful performance. It also helps reluctant managers get on with one of the most important accountabilities in modern management – people development

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