Helping Your Team Achieve Their Personal Career Goals

The best leaders are not just concerned about the output of their team, they are also interested and concerned about the individual team members. Showing interest in their personal career goals and offering advice or help in achieving them is a wonderful way to motivate your team members.

Take some time to get to know your team members individually. Conduct one-on-one meetings to talk about their passions and dreams. Let them know you are available to help where possible.

Questions you may want to ask them:

• What is your long-term career goal?
• Do you have a plan for how you can reach them? If not, do you want help creating a plan?
• Assuming you do not plan to be with this company forever, what position or role do you see yourself having when you leave this company?
• What skills, education or experience do you need to obtain to be ready for that role or position?
• Is your current position with this company a step towards reaching those goals?
• Do you feel you are making progress towards your goal? Why or why not?
• What do you feel is the biggest obstacle in reaching your goal?
• What are you currently doing to get you closer to your goal?
• Are there any projects within the company or team that you would like to be included in that will give you a step-up in reaching your goal?
• Is there anyone in the company who you feel would be a good mentor to you or that you would like to speak to about your goal?
• Is there anything I can do to help you achieve your goal?
• What can the company do to help you reach your goal?

As a leader, you can help them reach their goals by:

• Introducing them to people who could be a mentor or answer questions related to their goal.
• Offering to mentor them yourself.
• Buy them books, training material or other resources if your team has the budget for it.
• Include them in future projects that will get them one step closer to achieving their goal.
• Talk with other team leaders to see if they will allow this person to watch, learn from and/or participate in goal-specific projects their own team is working on – either via team member swap or volunteer.
• Introduce them to others who are currently serving in the role in which this team member is hoping to one day serve.
• Speak to the CEO about offering educational opportunities for those seeking to rise up the corporate ladder. Evening classes, weekend retreats, even just educational material that can be loaned out can help.
• When you see opportunities outside the company such as training seminars, volunteer positions, etc. share those with your team members.
• Check in with them, more than just during annual reviews, to see how they are doing.

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