Hope is Not a Business Strategy
Last year was undeniably hard. And here at the beginning of 2021 we can hope that it’s going to be better. We can hope that things will return to normal or at least a post-Covid “new normal.” We can hope that the struggles we’ve been experiencing in life and at work will get better. We can hope for positive, engaged, productive employees. But, guess what… hope – as good as it feels – is not a business strategy.
But, developing your employees is.
Your employees want and need development and if there was ever a time to make it a priority, it’s now. If you want a successful, innovative, resilient business, you’ve got to take care of your employees and it starts with your people leaders.
For too long, too many companies have hired and promoted people into management positions for the wrong reasons. Just because someone is an excellent technician doesn’t mean they’ll make a good people leader and to think it will is just another foolish hope. Leading people is hard. Leading people is a skill that does not come naturally. Sure, some people are born with certain traits that look like leadership skills but without training and development it’s just raw potential.
Your people leaders impact every aspect of your business including your bottom line. Train them, develop them, support them and they will do the same for their people creating a cascading activity of development. This is a strategy.
See how MEA supports Members with training and development.
About the Author
Margaret Uhrich’s approach to life is a combination of “anything’s possible” and “let’s see what happens when we do this”, making her the ideal leader for the Talent Development function at MEA. As a consultant and leader, her creative solutions and “can do” attitude inspire others to take action and bring about the changes they wish to see.