A critical element in the area of development is appropriate placement. This is an area in which you must simply bite the bullet and assume placement responsibility. You must gain a sound appreciation for the trust placed in you by the successful candidate. This is not the place for a cavalier attitude. If you are experienced at hiring, you also understand that finding a fit for your company and its culture is not the same as fitting the individual to the position. This can be one of the costliest flaws in company procedure, affecting cost and performance on every level. Hiring the right people is only the beginning of the process, and simply assures that your new hire will probably acculturate successfully, submitting readily to the vision and mission of the organization. Place them properly within the organization, and you will have a long-term contributor, one whom can count on during transition and periods of growth.

Another important element of management’s role in employee development is to clarify that the goal is excellence in all pursuits, and to further define excellence as it applies to a specific endeavor. In the majority of instances, employees in such an atmosphere will strive to attain excellence, with little or no external prompting. The assumption is that everyone enjoys success, and most people welcome an achievable challenge. It is necessary to have a clear vision of the point at which development issues end, and poor performance begins, and to clearly communicate this. It is important to note, that growing and improving is a process best achieved under relatively stable circumstances, though not impossible during the challenging period of organizational growth and transition. This is oftentimes an excellent proving ground, a period during which the stars will begin to shine.

Measurement & Analysis

Finally, management needs to measure and analyze output, both of processes and of individuals, and a function of doing it right. Employees must be made aware of their progress, either in a new setting, or a changing setting, and in the familiar one as well, in order to effectively set and adjust personal goals and improve performance.

Great leaders take pleasure in improvement, as it is a true confirmation of the validity of the vision. Such measurement and evaluation should be designed to motivate and initiate self-governing on the part of the individual. Measurement and analysis, when employed to motivate, can be extremely effective.

When used to control or dominate, however, it can backfire. In considering the evaluation process, be certain to clearly determine in the initial stages, exactly what is being measured, a very simple step too often overlooked.