Dani joined Shine Talent last August as our marketing coordinator. Fresh out of college, ready to set the world on fire and driven to build a career in marketing. Whip smart, hungry and full of potential. Just the type of person we love to hire.
We put our marketing goals in place for the year, hunkered down and went at it. She did a good job. She worked hard and cared. She was hungry to learn and jumped into any project we needed help with.
And then, we needed a lot of help. Shine Talent grew exponentially through referrals this year and we were pulling 15-hour days and weekends to ensure we delivered for our clients. Dani, as always, raised her hand to help. I won’t get into the ins and outs of executive recruiting but there is a tremendous amount that happens on the backend before anyone sees a candidate. We gave Dani direction and set her loose. WOW! Was the result. I mean really, WOW! You all know what that is like, when the lightbulb happens, when you FEEL the joy emanating from somebody who is excited about their work, when the results are off the charts because there is a fire in their belly. That is what happened with Dani. She slayed it when working on recruiting and we literally could measure the uptick in her happiness level.
We sometimes see large organizations formalize rotation plans or create environments for career exploration but rarely do we see growth companies formalize activities to optimize employee potential. Seeing Dani flourish doing work she was not necessarily hired for has me thinking about how we can help our employees explore their potential, be it in an executive leadership role or in a more junior position. Here are some thoughts:
INTERVIEW FOR POTENTIAL: Don’t just interview for the job, interview for the potential. Can this person flex into other areas of the business? Do they have a natural curiosity? Can they pivot if plans change or the company needs to pivot? For guidance here, we wrote about how to hire for potential in our Marketing Field Guide.
FLEX YOUR EMPLOYEES: Give them stretch opportunities or projects involving other business areas to A.) help your business – a new perspective is always smart and B.) fuel employee growth. I meet tons of C-level executives who are so narrow in scope because they built a linear career vs. having the ability to flex into other departments or industries. I also see executives leave companies because their current role is not stretching them. This is a detriment to their growth as well as a missed opportunity for the company.
BE OPEN-MINDED: If an employee is not thriving in their position, they typically know it too. Have an open conversation about where they want to take their career, what their passion is, what gives them joy in their work, and explore if there are broader areas for them to make an impact in the company.
THE PATH CAN FORK: Anyone can do anything. It takes curiosity, hard work, tenacity, and a desire to learn. Create environments for both you and your employees where a new door can be opened or a new career path can be explored.
For executive business leaders, there is no greater reward than helping people develop themselves and discover their potential. Large organizations often formalize this process but smaller companies can use their ability to be nimble, and their need for more resources, to flex their employees and bring more to their professional growth.
