Don’t rely on boss to nurture your talents at work

I’ve recently read two studies that highlighted a weakness in executives: They don’t do a good job of
developing the employees who report to them.

Both studies surveyed managers in corporations and asked them to rate their bosses in a number of skills.
The scores for “developing direct reports” were among the lowest.

By John Epperheimer
Special to the Mercury News

I’ve found that a certain percentage of leaders just aren’t “wired” to develop employees. They are much
more oriented to business successes than to nurturing talent, and focus on tasks and bottom-line results to
the exclusion of helping their workers learn. Some have good intentions, but are not good communicators,
or have never been taught how to help employees with their careers. Corporate cutbacks in employee
development during the recession aren’t helping, either.

This has major implications for self-managing your career.

1. Only you can own responsibility for your development.

Don’t make the mistake of counting on a company to commit significant resources to your growth. (If you
do find a company with a talent investment philosophy, count that as a big plus and do everything you can
to take advantage of it.)

Instead of waiting for your boss to show you the way, ask for feedback from those around you, so you can
develop an objective picture of where you need to improve. Then take the initiative to put yourself in a
position to learn.

2. Find ways to replace formal development programs.

On-the-job, experiential learning is more effective for most people than formal education programs.

Once you are accustomed to assigning a “learning quotient” to each job or assignment (“What can I learn
from this situation?”), you will accelerate your development. Make it a rule to push yourself out of your
comfort zone when taking on new responsibilities, because that’s when you learn best.

Some examples:

Even an assignment to plan an off-site meeting or a company picnic can be an opportunity to increase your
planning skills.

If you need to improve your ability to direct others, ask for a temporary assignment to lead a team of
workers who are older and more experienced than you.

If you have received feedback that you need to work better with peers, seek out an assignment (writing
new policies, developing a new mission statement) that requires collaboration to get to a definite outcome in
which everyone has a stake.

3. Find the “good guys.” Despite the survey results I mentioned, every organization has leaders who are
very committed to helping others. (They are not always senior executives; many of these mentors are
middle managers who truly enjoy the hands-on interaction with subordinates.)

Ask around to find out who they are, and then see if you can find ways to associate with them. Maybe you
can persuade one of these executives to be your mentor. Perhaps you can get assigned to a team that one
of these “good guys” leads. At the very least, try to have a cup of coffee with one of them to ask some
specific advice about your development.

John Epperheimer has worked as a newspaper editor and start-up executive and now heads a leadership coaching and
consulting firm. E-mail him at jepperheimer@ workpathgroup.com or write him care of San Jose Mercury News, 750
Ridder Park Drive, San Jose, Calif. 95190.

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