11 Key Development Areas for Employees at Work
Clarke Ricks School of Business,
Liberty University
BUSI 690: Policy and Strategy in Global Competition
Dr. Hicks
May 7, 2022
11 Key Development Areas for Employees at Work
In todays fast-paced and constantly changing work environment, it is crucial for employees
to continuously develop their skills and abilities. From technical proficiency to interpersonal
communication, there are many areas where employees can focus their growth and
improvement.
By doing so, they can become more valuable to their organization, increase their job
satisfaction, and advance their careers.
In this article, we will explore 11 key development areas for employees at work, each of
which can play a significant role in their personal and professional growth.
1. Goal-setting
2. Collaboration
3. Active listening
4. Flexibility
5. Organizational skills
6. Time management
7. Leadership
8. Communication
9. Conflict resolution
10. Accepting feedback and constructive criticism
11. Customer service
1. Goal-setting
Goal-setting enables team members to divide longer-term goals—which may seem less
achievable—into shorter-term goals that seem more feasible. Setting goals regularly has several
benefits. A good goal routine:
Optimizes resource use
Encourages more effective time management
Offers clearer focus
Enables objective progress measurement
Can boost motivation to achieve more
Clarifies decision making
Setting goals can encourage new, more productive behaviors. Improving teams' ability
to set goals effectively can help improve focus and work performance.
2. Collaboration
Collaborating (or cooperating) multiplies team strengths and minimizes individual
weaknesses. When teams collaborate to achieve different goals, they can build the skills
necessary to complete multi-disciplinary projects.
Benefits of collaboration include:
Building team camaraderie
Generating increased internal communication and understanding
Nurturing diversity
Increasing creative possibilities and innovation when brainstorming
Enhancing peer learning
Making delegation of tasks easier
Everyone has different strengths and weaknesses. Collaboration can also inspire more
productivity than a single person managing a project alone.
3. Active Listening
The goal of actively listening to another person is to acquire information and understanding
before responding, not thinking about the next thing to say when the other person finishes.
Passive listening is hearing without paying full attention.
Active listening is a vital tool for successful negotiation. There are other benefits too,
including:
Decreased likelihood of incorrect assumptions
Increased comprehension and learning
Increased appreciation from the speaker
Clearer communication
Better Relationships
Active listening is a skill that all employees can acquire with time and practice. Most people
have trouble internalizing information through active listening.
4. Flexibility
Flexibility is the realization that there's more than one way to complete most jobs correctly.
It's about adapting to changing circumstances and expectations quickly. Flexibility requires
being able to adjust rapidly to the unexpected.
Moreover, it also requires not being set in one's ways. Flexible employees can adapt their
roles based on the needs of the company. Companies, in turn, can be flexible and give their
employees the freedom to do their jobs in the way they think is best.
Some benefits of flexibility include:
The ability to adapt more quickly
Being more likely to deal with challenges effectively
Not being thrown off course by the unexpected
More responsiveness to customer needs
Having flexible team members who respond to change is crucial in a rapidly changing
business environment.
5. Organizational Skills
Organized people are more productive. Organizational principles should permeate all
aspects of the job. This methodology applies to everything from files and procedures to
schedules and office layouts.
Organized workers devote a small portion of their day to organizing, part of which is
prioritizing tasks and delegating if need be.
There are also numerous benefits to being organized. Some include:
Better time management
Less stress
Ease of tracking progress
Increased productivity
Being accepting of feedback and constructive criticism
Technology can assist with good organization. Many apps and programs facilitate effective
organization throughout your corporate culture.
6. Time Management
Time management often goes hand-in-hand with the organization. Time management is the
process of planning and exercising conscious control over time spent on various activities.
Time management is about working smarter, not harder, to streamline efforts.
Good time management involves planning and prioritizing. It also calls for avoiding
distractions, procrastination, and too much multitasking.
The more projects you undertake and the more intricate and complex they are, the more
your employees need good time management skills.
Poor time management can mean missed deadlines, incomplete projects, and missed
opportunities.
However, when your employees master time management, there are benefits, including:
Met deadlines
Increased efficiency
Higher productivity
Less stress and anxiety
Better quality work
7. Leadership
It isn't just managers who need good leadership skills; team members benefit, too.
Employing leadership training for all teams should be on your list of development goals.
While developing leadership skills can take time, there are many positive outcomes, such
as:
More employee commitment
Increased accountability
Enhanced team camaraderie
Improved performance and productivity
A shared burden of leadership
United efforts
Developing leadership in workers who are not managers will promote a culture of
responsibility and accountability in your business.
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8. Communication
Communication within a business takes several forms: oral communication, written
communication, and interpersonal communication.
It's crucial to your organization to enhance your team's ability to communicate in all ways
because clear communication is vital to a business. Fortunately, you can teach communication
skills through a team development program.
Written
Technology has made written communication easier and faster. Poorly worded and
confusing emails can be frustrating and counterproductive both within the organization and
with customers.
Furthermore, customers may consider unclear written communication to be a lack of
professionalism on your part.
One idea to consider is a style guide that team members can use for reference. Another is
team development through writing skills and standards education.
Oral
What you say is important, but equally important—if not more so—is how you say it. Tone
and word choice are also crucial parts of oral communication. Effective verbal communication
enables a person to work well with others.
Most people don't focus on their body language when talking with others, but listeners
notice it and react to it, even if it is unconsciously. This reality means body language is an
integral part of oral communication.
Improving oral communication (and the body language that goes along with it) is an
essential part of many aspects of team development, especially for leadership training.
Interpersonal
Interpersonal communication is a key area of development for employees at work.
Communicating clearly and directly without coming across as offensive or brusque can take
some practice.
Poor communication between teams or with customers can create many problems, delays,
and misunderstandings.
Better communication among employees and between workers and management will only
improve your business. Benefits to good communication include:
Less conflict
Better clarity, direction, and understanding
Decreased frustration and stress
Improved efficiency and productivity
Stronger relationships and team building
Increased engagement
Greater trust
Good communication plays a key role in promoting positive work experiences.
Customers also appreciate clear communications from businesses. If you develop strong
communicators in all departments, you will be surprised at how little friction you experience
with clients.
9. Conflict Resolution
Though it's inevitable from time to time and can even work to promote growth, mishandled
conflict in the workplace can be counterproductive, disruptive, and demoralizing.
People don't always agree, which is okay. After all, diversity of thought is beneficial;
however, it is essential to handle conflict effectively. This is where high emotional
intelligence comes in handy.
When teams understand how to resolve conflict effectively, it benefits the whole company.
Listening skills and clear, tactful communication are part of avoiding, de-escalating, and
resolving conflict.
Among the many positive outcomes of effective conflict resolution are:
Tighter, stronger teams
Better morale
Reduced tension
Increased productivity
Fewer alienated employees
Better relationships between teams
Managers should be good at conflict resolution. However, if your team members know how
to reduce and resolve conflict, your managers won't have to, which means they can spend their
time on other things.
10. Accepting Feedback and Constructive Criticism
Feedback and constructive criticism are essential to improve results and performance.
They are necessary for keeping employees informed about what they are good at and what
they need to improve.
However, feedback and constructive criticism can be hard to take, especially if it's delivered
insensitively or disrespectfully. Provided carelessly, feedback and constructive criticism can be
demoralizing.
It is important to remember that feedback does not always have to be negative. Positive
feedback is just as important.
Additionally, mixing positive points into feedback is essential to provide employees with a
balanced view of their performance. You don't want to only point out shortcomings and areas
for improvement.
Businesses can train employees to accept feedback and constructive criticism and then use
them to improve their results and performance in the future.
The benefits of feedback and constructive criticism include:
Keeping goals aligned across the organization
Letting employees know what they are doing well
Improving employee performance
Providing ongoing motivation
Feedback and constructive criticism are tools for continued learning.
11. Customer Service
Companies should cultivate good customer service skills because customer service is the
face of your business. Good customer service is essential to keeping the customers you have
and attracting new ones in the future.
Almost everyone associates politeness, friendliness, and prompt service with good
customer service.
However, good customer service involves things you may not usually think about, such as
integrity, openness, transparency, and ethics.
The benefits of good customer service are vast. A few examples include:
Increased customer satisfaction
Repeat business
Increased customer loyalty
Enhanced business and revenue
A positive brand image
The good news is that team members can enhance their customer service skills through a
good development program.
Why Invest in Team Development?
An increasing number of workers, especially millennials, report that on-the-job
development is something they weigh heavily when looking for a job and when leaving one.
Workers are increasingly seeking employers with robust opportunities for learning and
development. Conversely, they also cite a lack of growth opportunities as a significant factor for
quitting one job for another.
Your teams are your assets, but they are not inventory.
If you do not meet your team members' needs, your assets can and will walk out the door.
Though everyone appreciates pay increases, these measures are not enough to keep people on
board.
Modern teams do not just want commensurate pay; they want professional development
and growth, too. Encouraging and facilitating them to strive for and hit development goals will
make your business more appealing to current and new talent.
