When company culture creates limited professional stories, employee experience is not as positive as it could be. At least, for employees who want to grow beyond their current roles.
Consider whether some employees can take on more responsibility. Next, assess whether their current roles provide those opportunities. Then, evaluate whether their employee success hinges on being part of “more.” Perhaps, more complex projects. Or, collaborating with co-workers outside of their departments or professional disciplines.
What is the risk versus reward of providing employees with these opportunities to target, and achieve, “something more”?
As a Leader of Worth, do you provide employees with opportunities to expand their professional stories? Or does company culture create limited professional stories?
Now, perhaps not every employee wants to expand their professional story. Some employees are content to remain in order-taker roles. Yet, other employees are hired as revenue generators, but possess critical thinking skills required to move into more analytical roles. Then, consider whether hiring practices reinforce workforce homogeneity.
However, each department has those “outliers” who are underutilized in their current functional roles. Those employees who always seem to color outside the lines. And, push the boundaries of their professional roles and seek “something more.”
Who are these employees? Is their professional curiosity rewarded and reinforced, or not? And if not, why not?
Are limited professional stories in your organization impacting employee turnover rates?
A premium is placed on employee workplace engagement these days. How are you keeping employees jazzed about working with you and your clients? Often, the small opportunities you provide open the door to professional development opportunities.
Otherwise, when employees perceive that the professional stories they have to tell to future employers are limited, they move on. Not every employee is content to do repetitive functional work lacking variety and challenge.
Are limited professional stories impacting your business growth, along with current and future workforce development?
Discover the Voice of the Employee in your company. Then, leverage storytelling to expand professional development stories and your human capital strategy, as well.
- Take the next steps. Planning your next team, corporate or association meeting? Engage me to present one of my Storytelling for STEM Professionals and Left Brain Thinkers speaking programs, workshops or moderated facilitation services.
- Get employees started today. Download my new checklist and worksheet: Six Professional Development Targets to Hit each Month.
- Subscribe to my blog. Share your email address in the red box in the right column of this blog. Never miss another insightful post.
Babette Ten Haken’s One Millimeter Mindset® Storytelling for STEM Professionals and Left Brain Thinkers Speaking Programs target purpose-driven professional success. Help your employees become more visible, relevant and valuable to your organization. Find out more about Babette’s professional story here. Babette is a member of SME, ASQ, SHRM and the National Speakers Association. Her playbook of communication hacks, Do YOU Mean Business? is available on Amazon.com. Babette’s speaker profile is on the espeakers platform. Contact Babette here.
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