Cover Story
2. Give employees room to grow
Smart Business Chicago | November 2009
When discussing career aspirations with employees, Kevin Kelly offers a piece of advice: use the information discussed to give them the room to grow.
“There are three critical components to any job,” says Kelly, CEO of Heidrick & Struggles International Inc., a $648 million senior-level executive search and leadership consulting services firm. “First and foremost is interest in what you’re doing. Second is compensation. The third, and the most important, is learning.”
Many people searching for a new job do so because their development process has stalled.
“Individuals come to us at the senior level, when their learning curve flattens out and they’re bored,” Kelly says. “They usually blame the company, so they move jobs, and they find it’s great for six months, but then they’re doing the exact same thing.”
So how do you create a culture that continues to push people’s intellect? Kelly suggests adding new learning pieces to existing roles.
“We implemented a training and development organization, which focuses on development,” he says. “We assess people. We give them new opportunities.”
As CEO, Kelly says it is critical to figure out what new elements people can add to their job by taking points from those conversations on what they want to do to give them a bit of growth. Those little extras can help drive retention, set a management example and grow your company.
