15 Easy Ways to Develop Your Direct Reports

Managers miss opportunities to help their direct reports develop new skills and competencies if (1) they aren’t thinking about it, and (2) imagine development opportunities as really big things which take enormous effort.  Encourage people to come to you with developing and training ideas. There are certainly times when we should pursue high-commitment opportunities like mini-sabbaticals and working on an assignment in a new area.  Here are simpler, smaller ideas that can be done without a person doing less in their current role:

1. Meetings: Delegate running a significant meeting to them. Include them as an observer in a decision-meeting. Ask them to sub for you in a working meeting.
2. Ask them to explore a problem, new tech option, an industry situation, and then report their findings.
3. Recommend information and training materials to them – LinkedIn Learning courses, podcasts, books, good articles.
4. Send them to a conference or third-party meeting.  Ask them to report back.
5. Invite them to help you assemble a presentation, budget, or report for your boss.
6. Ask them to give a report/update to your boss.
7. Ask them to bring you a draft message or proposal as a starting point, then finish it together.
8. Introduce them to new people to improve their network.
9. As confidences permit, explain a situation you face to them, and ask them for their thoughts on how they would proceed if they were in your situation.  Review your thinking with them.
10. Encourage them to pick up a side project of their choice.
11. Ask what they’d like to do in the future.  Listen.  Help them think through what skills and experience would be required to do this.
12. Create a practice plan for an individual to sharpen a skill where you see they need improvement.
13. Read a book together and discuss your thoughts and reactions.
14. Ask “What are you learning?”  People respond when you establish a pattern of asking this question, because you are signaling how much you value learning.
15. Share stories about mistakes that you’ve made in past situations.

Two general aspects:

1. Evaluate the work you do, then delegate or include them in the work so they have the capability to do it in the future.  
2. Give them plenty of feedback, especially positive feedback. 

And if you’re not a manager … ask your manager to do one of these things!