Helping staff develop new skills in the workplace is a core part of management. People are more likely to stay at organizations with cultures that support growth and development. At TMC, we refer to staff development as “investing in people.”
Most of our clients know why investing in people is important—it grows long-term leadership pathways, improves retention, and leads to better results. But many people struggle with the how.
How Do I Help My Staff Develop a New Skill?
At TMC, we advise leaders to use a conspire-and-align approach. Staff learning and development isn’t just about setting aside a few professional development days each year or a one-time plan; it’s about setting learning goals each year and supporting staff to meet them over time.
People learn best when:
- There’s a clear purpose and application for the skill (an immediate usefulness or horizon)
- They have support—and a plan—to build on strengths, stretch, and grow
- They can practice consistently
As a manager, you work with your staff person to identify the growth area. Then, you break it down. You make a plan to develop the skill, including how you’ll support their learning. Then, they practice and apply the skill, with your feedback and coaching along the way.
Learning a New Skill: Step-by-Step Guide
These are the three main steps you can take to help staff identify and develop a new skill:
1. Get Aligned on a Growth Area
What skill(s) would level up what they can achieve in their role? What would help them go from good to great?
Surface these growth areas through your own direct observations and their self-reflection. Check-ins, 2×2 feedback, debriefs, and stay conversations are great places to start these staff development conversations.
Here are other questions you can ask:
- Is there an area where you (or they) consistently spot room for improvement?
- Thinking about their career trajectory, what other opportunities might they eventually be interested in, and what skills do they need to get there?
In these conversations, be direct about the growth area, share why it’s important, and seek their perspective. Here’s what this might sound like:
You’ve been doing good work with our partner organizations. You’re good at facilitating meetings, and I think you could be great at guiding people through trickier, high-stakes conversations with more practice and resources. What do you think about that?
2. Name the Skill and Break It Down
Once you’re generally aligned on the growth area, name the specific skill you’re helping your staff learn. Then, break it down further.
Here’s a breakdown of the skills a staff member needs for great meeting facilitation:
- Preparation and planning: Setting objectives, creating an agenda, and managing logistics.
- Active listening and communication: Engaging with participants, summarizing key points, and helping everyone feel heard.
- Time and process management: Keeping the meeting on track, managing time, and guiding the group through the agenda.
- Encouraging participation and managing group dynamics: Getting balanced input, managing dominant voices, establishing group agreements, and fostering a collaborative environment.
- Decision-making and action planning: Helping the group reach decisions using a consistent process, clarifying next steps, and identifying action items.
3. Make a Plan
Once you’ve decided what skill to work on, treat it like a project with a goal and a plan. Get aligned on your expectations and invite their perspectives as you define success. Use our 5 Ws delegation worksheet as a guide. Here’s a high-level snapshot of what that could look like:
- What success looks like: [Staff member] develops stronger meeting facilitation skills, especially around preparation and planning, managing group dynamics, and decision-making.
- Why: Stronger facilitation will help our partners collaborate more effectively and make key decisions faster.
- When: By end of Q2
- Where to get support or resources: Collaborate with [name of colleague] on three upcoming meetings.
How Can I Help My Staff Practice New Skills?
Two tools we recommend to build staff skills are stretch assignments and the “I do, we do, you do” method.
Test the Learning: Stretch Assignments
A stretch assignment allows someone to practice new skills by dialing up the stakes, volume, or complexity of a responsibility.
When you give a stretch assignment, share how you think it will help the person grow. Why is it immediately useful in their role or the work? How will it help them prepare for an opportunity? Offer support and ask what they need to be successful. For example, you can say:
I’d like you to own facilitating meetings for our local advisory committee. I think it’ll strengthen group cohesion and relationship-building since you already support these organizations individually. I think it’s a challenge you’re ready for.
What do you think? What support do you need from me?
The Scaffolding Approach: “I Do, We Do, You Do”
“I Do, We Do, You Do” ramps up learning through a series of steps, each with increasing responsibility. The method builds confidence and competence progressively. Here’s an example of how it works:
| I do | Model the skill and have the person observe you. Then, debrief it. | Jori observes their manager, Nicolas, facilitating a complex, high-stakes meeting with partners. In the debrief, Nicolas invites Jori to break down what they saw Nicolas doing. Nicolas offers his perspective and shares the rationale for the choices he made in the meeting. |
| We do | Have the other person do the task with you and then debrief | Nicolas and Jori co-facilitate the next meeting. They co-design the agenda and divide up facilitation. After, they debrief. Nicolas shares feedback on Jori’s facilitation. |
| You do | Have them do it on their own and then–you guessed it–debrief! | Jori facilitates a meeting, with Nicolas observing. Afterwards, Jori reflects on what they learned, what they were proud of, and what they’d do differently next time. |
By starting with modeling, the learner can see the skill in action. Practicing the skill together provides a safe space for practice and guidance. The final step of independent execution reinforces autonomy.
Using debriefs at each stage ensures the learner reflects on their progress, identifies growth areas, and gets actionable feedback. This approach develops skills and builds a culture of trust and collaboration between manager and staff.
Putting Staff Development Plans into Practice
Developing a new skill takes time. Developing a new skill in someone else takes intention. As a manager, staff development can be one of the more exciting parts of your job. In our experience, you will learn a lot, too.
Want more support developing your staff? Check out our Investing in People and Performance training!