3 Unique Ways to Invest in the Professional Development of Your Team
Professional development is an essential part of retaining top talent and building a strong company culture. At Snellings Walters, we believe in the importance of inspiring our employees to be the best that they can be and professional development is a huge component of that. Here are 3 unique ways to invest in the professional development of your team:
Encourage Courses and Certifications
A great way to inspire employees to continue learning and growing is by encouraging courses and certifications and offering a stipend to fund them. Not every position and title will have specific courses to take, but there are plenty of general opportunities to help further your team’s professional growth.
One of our core values at Snellings Walters is curiosity. We want to push each other to always be continually learning and seeking to further understand. Providing specific courses and certifications is a great way to continue to keep curiosity at the forefront of our culture. A few specific courses that we recommend are:
- Heart and Serve Program (Chick-fil-A) – this is great for leadership development!
- Talent Magnet Institute
- Culture Index
- Encourage and pay for licensing and advancement of your employees craft
2. Host Monthly Book Clubs
Another way to foster professional development is through reading and hosting monthly company-wide book clubs. Consider purchasing books for your employees on a monthly basis and providing new team members with a book to read that closely aligns with your organization’s purpose. Reading as a collective group will create meaningful conversations and further internal team growth and morale. A couple of professional development books that we recommend are:
- The Secret of Teams by Mark Miller
- 5 Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni
3. Provide Ongoing Coaching Sessions
It’s hard to foster professional development and growth without accountability. Providing ongoing coaching sessions with your leadership team where goals are reviewed and set is a great way to challenge your employees and cultivate a culture of honesty. Communicating constructive feedback, celebrating victories, and discussing future benchmarks is one of the most beneficial ways to motivate your team.
To learn more about our team and culture at Snellings Walters, click here.