Page 202 - How America's Best Places to Work Inspire Extra Effort in Extraordinary Times

Job Enrichment and Professional Growth C189

boring, and for knowing to avoid the wrong jobs. These are self-
engagement prerequisites, among the many we present in Chapter 10.
But it is obvious that managers can and do play a powerful role
in bringing out the best in the people they manage and in paving the
way for their professional growth and advancement. In the thousands
of survey comments we pored over, there were countless references to
“management” and “leaders” and “the company” either choosing to
make employee development a priority, or not doing so. Clearly, the
responsibility for putting people in the right jobs and helping them
grow is shared by three parties—the direct manager, senior leaders,
and all employees. Human resources executives and professionals play
a key partnering or supporting role as well, or should.

: ARE MANAGERS EXPECTED TO CHALLENGE AND DEVELOP
EMPLOYEES?

For any number of the following reasons, many managers are not pay-
ing attention to people development:

: They were never coached themselves.
: They play favorites when it’s time to promote or hand them
the juiciest assignments.
: They rob employees of challenges by micromanaging or
refusing to delegate.
: They just aren’t “hardwired” to be coaches.
: They believe developing employees is more about fixing
employees’ weaknesses than leveraging their strengths.
: They are simply more interested in their own careers.
: They claim to be “too busy.”
: They just don’t care.

There are so many possible reasons that it’s a wonder anyone gets
developed at all. Fortunately, there are many managers who do care.