Have you spotted a few “bright bulbs” in your company? Have you had the luxury – or the challenge – of answering a young employees request to “take on more responsibility.” If so, how would you – as the employer / manager – answer it? If you are the employee how do you learn to take control of your career? How do you prove that you are ready to take on more responsibility.
Via one of my favorite newsletters – “The Motivational Manager” – I came across an article posted on the TechRepublic website:
Yes, Project Management Skills! Why?
1) By successfully managing even a very small project, you will demonstrate your ability to achieve a tangible result – on time and within budget.
2) It is an opportunity to learn more about yourself – your skills and your weaknesses. You may possess very deep product knowledge or technical skills but are lacking in communications skills (written and verbal.) This becomes an opportunity to ask your manager for help to improve. Your manager or employer may assign a mentor to work with you. Or they may encourage you to further your education. Enlightened firms have programs in place to fully or partially reimburse employees who seek professional development.
3) Project management involves both organizational skills and soft skills (managing people, communications.) Successful business leaders have acquired and mastered both of these skill sets.
As a manager or an employer, here are some tips for improving the skill set of your employees. And ways that you can demonstrate your belief in offering opportunities for promotion from within your company:
1) Pass along interesting articles to motivate your employees. Or give them back issues of Business or Trade Journals after you have read them. Encourage active discussion of the articles that your employees find interesting.
2) Assign mentors to all employees – but particularly to those who show promise or who take the initiative to improve their skills.
3) Be sure to “target” your training programs. Training is not a “one-size-fits-all” proposition. Identify the areas in which your employees are weak and offer training to help them improve those skill sets.
4) Take your motivated employees to Professional Association meetings. Encourage them to network. Expose them to the multiple training opportunities that Professional Associations offer. Let them see the multiple opportunities for career advancement. I believe that if you are serious about having a career vs. simply working at a job, you MUST become active in one or more Professional Associations!
Read the entire article – “Nine Options for Improving Your Project Management Skills” for more details. And… be sure to pass it on to some of your employees. And encourage them to discuss the article with you. You will both gain from the experience.
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