Support Your People
It’s the time of year when both organizations and individuals begin to cast themselves forward into the New Year. We think about our ambitions and sometimes set some more concrete goals.
As you think about what might be in 2023, we at Third Space Studio encourage you to think about how you support your people - staff, board members, and even volunteers. We notice that those organizations that are very intentional with their support retain their talent. We also notice the joyful energy of teams who support one another to learn and grow.
Whether or not you are the executive director, a team manager, or a supervisor, here are some simple and not too cost- or time-intensive ways to enhance people development in your organization:
Make Workplans Focused and Adaptable
We are not big fans of workplans at Third Space Studio. We find them to be a bit cumbersome and often quickly obsolete in a world of uncertainty and frequent new opportunities and challenges. That said, we do value tools that help us stay focused on the right work.
Our Team Manager Janet recently introduced us to OKRs - a tool created by the folks at Google. OKR stands for Objectives and Key Results. OKRs are a way for people to name what they are going to produce, track their progress, and coordinate priorities and milestones between people. They are a way to help people stay focused on what is most important - even in the midst of a shifting landscape. What Matters has produced a playbook on OKRs that you may find helpful.
And don’t forget that being productive and fulfilled is not just about achievement. Is your team building in time to rest and recuperate from big pushes?
Provide On-the-Job Opportunities for Skillbuilding
Seventy percent of the skills and knowledge people need to perform well in their job is learned through on the job experience (Center for Creative Leadership). Another 20% comes through coaching and mentoring with the final 10% filled in with formal training. What are the competencies that people need? How can you create on-the-job experiences that help people grow their skills? Can you help people incorporate skill-building into their OKRs? Do you have a budget line item for training and professional development? Do people have sufficient time to learn and to mentor others?
Bridgespan recently published a list of Fifty-Five Competency Based Ideas for Professional Development. It’s a good spark for some more specific thinking with your people.
Enhance Feedback Practices
If 70% of growth comes from on-the-job experience, feedback becomes a vital element for a staff that learns and grows together. Do people receive timely, clear and kind feedback? Do people know how to give each other quality feedback and how to receive feedback generously? How might you set the stage for better feedback: do you regularly ask for feedback? Are your one-on-ones a space for authentic sharing and self-reflection?
The Management Center has lots of good resources for Giving and Receiving Feedback You’ll find lots of other resources on their website for supporting people development, including suggestions for One-on-one Check-ins. Pick out a couple and encourage your supervisors, or your full staff, to try these tools in the coming year.
Capture Your Culture
Supporting your people is easier in the midst of a vibrant and inclusive culture. Everett Harper, the CEO of Truss, is one of Meredith’s trusted sources of good thinking about creating an inclusive, creative, and thriving workplace. You might want to take a look at Truss’ Playbook for some more ideas about supporting employees, especially in a remote company. We love the idea of an employee effectiveness budget.
Finally, what if your nonprofit had its own Playbook - a source of reference information and tools that help your people name and practice your organization’s culture. Once you are at the level of five or more employees it is harder for informal conversations to sufficiently support your desired culture. A written source becomes more essential. Truss’ Playbook captures many of the elements of their culture so that new hires know what to expect, and long-time employees have a toolbox. Perhaps this is something to include as an OKR for your team in 2023!
Our organizations are effective because the people within them are skilled and thriving.
How will you support your people to thrive in 2023?
Meredith, Heather, and Janet