Lenka PincotChief of Staff to the CEO| Project Management InstituteParis, France
I just received results of Accenture survey and according to the survey, 41% of people consider as the most valuable benefit of their work their skills development. What can we do as PMs to support our team members on that? Saving Changes...
Senior Projects Manager | Field & Marten AssociatesNew Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
Recognize & Support Professional Development of Employees. This is somehow in line with one of the motivational theories.
When people feel they are being supported to develop professionally on so many levels, it not only increases their skills but their commitment and sense of ownership to what they do. Saving Changes...
Kimberley RomanerCEO| Possibilities AmplifiedNorth Augusta, Sc, United States
Challenge employees to go beyond their skill sets and try new things. Allow them to make mistakes. Let them explore areas that pose manageable risk to the project. Be open to their wishes to explore. If an employee says, "I could take a crack at it," let them try. Team them up with more skilled team members who can guide them and have their backs. And trust them. People want to make a meaningful contribution. Give them the space, and they will.
...
3 replies by Frank Valdivia, Kimberley Romaner, and Pench Batta
Oct 23, 2018 11:23 AM
Pench Batta
...
Excellent points Kimberley!
Oct 23, 2018 12:37 PM
Kimberley Romaner
...
Very kind, Pench, thanks!
Jan 16, 2019 10:48 AM
Frank Valdivia
...
Great advice ! I'd also team them up with other team members that proved successful in developing their skills
Such a broad question that I feel the "specifics" would be customized to meet a particular team's members! But all teams could benefit from raising awareness of skill development opportunities and the importance of continual learning. Creating a culture where mistakes are treated as opportunity for learning can allow for regular development hands-on, not just formal development of skills.
...
1 reply by Lenka Pincot
Oct 23, 2018 3:20 PM
Lenka Pincot
...
Thank you Theresa, especially for the point of allowing mistakes to happen and treat them as learning opportunities.
Saving Changes...
Jesus MartheynProject Manager SR Lvl 2| GlobantMedellin, Antioquia, Colombia
I would say that, for me, works really good, train the team on specific subjects that will be helpful in their everyday tasks. Not always I give them the train, I usually ask an expert team member on the field. People love to feel they are learning more than they are teaching, that's how I try to keep engaged the team.
...
1 reply by Lenka Pincot
Oct 23, 2018 3:22 PM
Lenka Pincot
...
Thank you, that is very good example, to invite experts to share knowledge with your team. Would you have specific example in which area you arrange such training?
Saving Changes...
Pench BattaEnterprise Lean Agile DevOps Coach /SAFe Program Consultant (SPC6)| Capgemini, Inc.Bentonville, Ar, United States
Oct 23, 2018 10:25 AM
Replying to Kimberley Romaner
...
Challenge employees to go beyond their skill sets and try new things. Allow them to make mistakes. Let them explore areas that pose manageable risk to the project. Be open to their wishes to explore. If an employee says, "I could take a crack at it," let them try. Team them up with more skilled team members who can guide them and have their backs. And trust them. People want to make a meaningful contribution. Give them the space, and they will.
Excellent points Kimberley! Saving Changes...
Pench BattaEnterprise Lean Agile DevOps Coach /SAFe Program Consultant (SPC6)| Capgemini, Inc.Bentonville, Ar, United States
Encourage the team to become T shaped or E shaped skills from I shape skill. Allow team members share their knowledge by doing small workshops.
...
1 reply by Lenka Pincot
Oct 23, 2018 3:23 PM
Lenka Pincot
...
Great example Pench with the small workshops. How much time would you dedicate for that let’s say on a monthly basis?
Saving Changes...
Kimberley RomanerCEO| Possibilities AmplifiedNorth Augusta, Sc, United States
Oct 23, 2018 10:25 AM
Replying to Kimberley Romaner
...
Challenge employees to go beyond their skill sets and try new things. Allow them to make mistakes. Let them explore areas that pose manageable risk to the project. Be open to their wishes to explore. If an employee says, "I could take a crack at it," let them try. Team them up with more skilled team members who can guide them and have their backs. And trust them. People want to make a meaningful contribution. Give them the space, and they will.
Adding to all the good suggestions here, PMs have to be developers of people. PM has to provide the support and environment to the team members for up-skilling & cross-skilling, establish a platform like Kimberley has mentioned and allow them to try their new ideas without fear of failures.
...
1 reply by Kimberley Romaner
Oct 23, 2018 1:19 PM
Kimberley Romaner
...
Exactly, Girija! Our people are our biggest asset. If we don't develop them, they will find other opportunities and companies that will.
Saving Changes...
Kimberley RomanerCEO| Possibilities AmplifiedNorth Augusta, Sc, United States
Oct 23, 2018 1:04 PM
Replying to Girija Ramakrishnan
...
Adding to all the good suggestions here, PMs have to be developers of people. PM has to provide the support and environment to the team members for up-skilling & cross-skilling, establish a platform like Kimberley has mentioned and allow them to try their new ideas without fear of failures.
Exactly, Girija! Our people are our biggest asset. If we don't develop them, they will find other opportunities and companies that will.
Don't you as PMs risk getting on a collision course with the functional managers of the team members that work on your projects if you try to develop their skills? What if the functional manager, who usually comes from the same line of work as the team members, has different goals regarding the skill development of his/her staff? Wont the functional manager feel that you are trying to take away his/her duties?
In addition some team members are very skilled in their profession while the PM many times does not even come from the same line of work as the team members. How can you develop the skills of a very skilled and experienced worker when you don't come from the same line of work as he/she does?
...
2 replies by Kimberley Romaner and Lenka Pincot
Oct 23, 2018 3:25 PM
Lenka Pincot
...
That’s very interesting view Adrian, can you add any specific topic where you think the PM would be in a conflict with functional manager on enhancing skills of team members?
Oct 23, 2018 3:52 PM
Kimberley Romaner
...
Most functional managers I've worked with were grateful that their employees were getting extra attention and care. On rare occasions I've had a functional manager come to me and say, "I don't want him/her doing that," to which I would say, "Oh. Okay. no problem. I'll take care of it." Then I would tell the employee, apologize for the lost opportunity, sympathize for a bit, and we would both go on with our lives. This approach has historically kept the team member engaged and functioning well as part of the project team, and dispelled any potential friction with the functional manager. As to your second question, Adrian, I have managed people whose skill sets I do not have, but whom did not have some of my skill sets, either. Whether it's soft skills, time management, emotional management, public speaking or whatever, there's much to share about being a more well-rounded person, employee and leader.
Community Champion
