The POsitive Impact of Learning and Development

In today’s digital age and knowledge-based economy, the importance of upskilling and reskilling is vital if organisations are to maintain and retain a vibrant workforce. With knowledge having a shorter shelf life than before, the importance of skilled employees and exceptional leaders to a company’s success can’t be underestimated.

Research has shown that a manager’s investment in their learning and development plan not only enhances their own skills and knowledge but triggers a ripple effect, influencing their immediate team, department, and colleagues in their wider organisation in positive ways. The cumulative effect of these benefits can lead to greater resilience, improved performance and higher employee retention rates for the organisation.

Why Learning and Development is Important

Focusing on learning and development can have a profound impact on a manager’s contribution to their organisation

1.     Enhanced Productivity:

Managers with new skills and strategies can implement more efficient processes, utilise resources better and lead their teams more effectively, which can significantly boost productivity.

2.     Improved Decision Making:

Having greater knowledge, skills and new perspectives helps managers to make informed and strategic decisions that align with the organisation’s goals.

3.     Driving Change:

With a fresher perspective and greater resilience, managers can be agents of change within the organisation. They can confidently guide their teams through transformations, technological improvements or cultural shifts.

4.     Innovation:

Exposure to new learning can bring fresh ideas. Managers who continually update their knowledge are more likely to introduce or encourage innovative solutions to challenges and foster a culture of creativity within the team.

5.     Building a Learning Culture:

When a manager emphasises the importance of their own learning and development, it trickles down to the team, creating a culture of continuous learning. This becomes a competitive advantage, ensuring the entire team evolves with the changing business landscape.

Creating a Culture that Elevates Contribution

Managers often have packed schedules and, when not juggling numerous responsibilities, are dashing between meetings. This leads some to push aside their own learning and development due to lack of time. When faced with multiple challenges, it is easy to slip into firefighting mode. The problem is that this not only leaves no room for the manager’s own learning and development, but it also stunts the growth and productivity of their team.

Introducing the Contribution Curve - a management and leadership competency framework that offers invaluable insights and guidance. This framework empowers managers and their teams to become top contributors within their organisations. The Contribution Curve consists of five levels, each representing an ascending level of managerial proficiency. As managers ascend the curve, their impact on the organisation's success amplifies. With their growing ability to make a positive difference, both they and their team flourish.

Learning and Development Capability at the 5 Levels of Contribution

Reacting: Prior to the promotion, the reactive manager was most likely the team expert, and can’t quite seem to move from this mindset. Instead of passing the baton and delegating problems, they dive headfirst into every crisis. They believe that tackling challenges directly is like dousing a fire - quick and effective. But without pausing to mentor their team, they're ironically slowing everyone down and becoming the very obstacle hindering their own and their team's growth and development.

Controlling: Controlling managers have the skills to manage time effectively and the self-awareness to prioritise where they should be focusing. Managers at the controlling stage have taken a big leap forward in their coaching and delegating skills. They are skilled in coaching their team by asking, listening, and understanding what’s important, and encouraging their team to proactively think through scenarios for themselves.

Directing:  Building trusting and productive relationships lies at the heart of professional growth, and a fundamental aspect of this is understanding oneself and others. Directing managers understand where to add the most value and where to allocate their time. It's not about spreading oneself thin but optimising where you can make the most significant impact and saying no to everything else.

Facilitating: To truly build self-awareness and stimulate continuous learning and development, it’s important to have a consistent approach to feedback. A manager with a facilitating mindset will actively seek regular feedback from a range of stakeholders to build self-awareness and stimulate learning and development. They proactively seek to make feedback a regular and integral part of their interactions. This involves reaching out to a diverse range of stakeholders, and not just those who might always have positive things to say.

Leading: Through investing in learning and developing, managers at this level have mastered self-leadership, building self-awareness, resilience and emotional intelligence. This makes them adaptable in the face of change and better equipped to respond to challenges. With high self-awareness, leading managers understand their biases, strengths, and weaknesses. This understanding allows them to make balanced, thoughtful decisions by recognising when their personal biases might be influencing their judgment. By mastering self-leadership, managers are equipped with the tools to navigate the complexities of human dynamics, drive performance, and create environments where their teams, and the wider network of people they interact with, can thrive.

Ramp up contribution in your organisation

Contribution is about more than a person’s individual performance, it’s a reflection of how people think and behave to achieve the organisation’s goals and objectives.

We have helped many organisations to increase the amount of contribution they make towards achieving the company’s vision, mission, and goals. Why not get in touch to find out more and see how our Contribution programme can help your organisation.

Management Development Programme

A capability diagnostic and growth plan for your managers:

Our Management Development Programme has helped many of our clients to transform their management and leadership capability by building the contribution of each of their people. This has enabled organisations to fulfil their purpose, make an impact and achieve sustained contribution, value, and success.

Take a look at our programme and find out how we can help your organisation.

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