Thanks to the newest generation of career pathing tools, empowering people to achieve their full potential is easier than ever. Here are some best practices that will take your strategy to the next level:
#1. Open their eyes to horizontal growth
For a long time, vertical progression was the dominant way to develop your career. Employees were expected to look up and down their linear ladder, without much room to consider opportunities outside of their function.
In the new world of work, that’s rapidly changing. Internal mobility is a priority for workforces, with nearly two-thirds of employees saying that they would like to be considered for new and different roles with their companies. To keep pace with these evolving expectations, leaders should leverage career pathing as a means to open employees’ eyes to opportunities outside of their linear paths. The tools will make suggestions based on personal interests and skills, in turn helping employees discover new opportunities with other parts of the business.
#2. Keep them accountable
The best career pathing tools don’t just show employees different long-term paths; they empower users to take action immediately by breaking down the skills gaps they need to bridge. Career pathing can pinpoint projects, gigs, and mentorships that will help users develop the competencies they need to move into their desired roles. Some career pathing tools even have boards that let employees track their progress, so they can see how they’re doing as they work towards their career goals.
#3. Bring employees and managers together
While employee ambitions should drive career trajectories, managers also need to weigh in to ensure their goals align with business priorities. Career pathing creates an ideal foundation that makes it easy to bring managers into the conversation. Once employees explore the options that the tool provides, they can sit down with their managers to discuss how their goals fit into enterprise-wide objectives.
#4. Make talent sharing your norm
Even the best career pathing tool isn’t enough to single-handedly transform internal mobility. If you want to empower your workforce to achieve their full potential, tech-enabled solutions need to be accompanied by a profound culture change.
Most importantly, managers across your organization should promote talent sharing, as opposed to being possessive of their all-star employees. While it can be a tricky transition, ultimately this approach will give managers wider talent pools to tap into and empower employees to build a broader knowledge base.
