Year in Review: Focusing on Workplace Development

In keeping with traditions, we take time each year to look back on the past 12 months and share the top Refresh Leadership articles of the year. And in doing so, we uncover articles you may have missed. However, 2020 was like no other year we’ve experienced in the business community. It has been full of ups and downs, unprecedented swings, and constant opportunities for innovation and adaption. Overall, there has been a singular theme to the year—the importance of constant and consistent development to be ready for any curve ball thrown our way.

One example of this has been the major shift between employees serving in traditional workplaces to moving toward remote, work-from-home settings and flexible scheduling. Before the pandemic, 3.4% of the workforce were already working remotely. However, according to a global study by Gartner, 88% of organizations worldwide either mandated or encouraged all employees to work from home as COVID-19 became a global health crisis. Investing in workplace development allowed companies to better adapt to the new normal this year.

Focusing on Workplace Development

The workplace can be one of the most diverse aspects of a person’s life. Made up of five generations, different affiliations, a plethora of personalities, and a variety of work ethics, understanding how different people work together is one of the most important parts of workplace development. The following two series were developed to help us understand and better lead diverse organizations.

Leading by the Numbers: What Your Enneagram Says About You as a Leader

Understanding your strengths and weaknesses as a leader is imperative to not only leading others, but also leading yourself effectively. But the make-up of great leaders doesn’t just lay in the balance of the pros and cons scale, it is the amalgamation of intricate character traits and personal tendencies that make each of us uniquely equipped to be the leaders we are called to be.

One of the best tools available to understanding our unique make up is the Enneagram of Personality. Enneagram, derived from the Greek word ennéa or nine, predicates that human personalities can fall into one of nine separate personality types. Discovering your Enneagram type is a great way to recognize your personality tendencies and how they affect interaction with others.

Throughout this series, we examined each of the nine Enneagram types and how they relate to leadership, including opportunities for growth and pitfalls to avoid. Here is a recap on all nine types.

Learn more here!

16 Myers-Briggs Leadership Types

As we learned in the Leadership by the Numbers series about the Enneagram types, each person’s unique personality traits help determine the type of leader they are prone to be. Another strong tool to use to uncover leadership tendencies and understanding strengths and weaknesses associated with personality traits is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.

First published in 1962, the indicator examines different personality preferences within four specific relational realms:

  • People and things (Extraversion) or ideas and information (Introversion)
  • Facts and reality (Sensing) or possibilities and potential (Intuition)
  • Logic and truth (Thinking) or values and relationships (Feeling)
  • A lifestyle that is well-structured (Judgment) or one that goes with the flow (Perception)

Of these four preferences, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator determines 16 different personality types through a combination of Extraversion or Introversion; Sensing or Intuition; Thinking or Feeling; and Judgment or Perception. The first letter of each preference becomes the Myers-Briggs personality type, with excepting to Intuition (N).

Learn more about Myers-Briggs types.

Building Accountability in the Workplace

Another great resource for workplace development is the informative piece “Who’s Accountable for Accountability?” developed by Express Employment Professionals. This intuitive employer resource focuses on how leaders can foster an environment of employee accountability and includes a tool to help managers and their team members stay more organized and accountable with each other. And with millions of businesses adopting work-from-home practices, this online resource is more relevant than ever.

“Who’s Accountable for Accountability?” offers seven tips for building employee accountability, including:

  • Make Accountability a Personal Priority
  • Ensure Big Picture Alignment
  • Check for Clarity
  • Set a Hard Deadline
  • Create Micro-Goals
  • Give Regular, Constructive Feedback and Coaching
  • Celebrate Success

Learn more about Accountability.

Along with this piece, Express offers a wide range of employer resources to help in organizational development at all levels. Check out the extensive, complimentary tools available to help you lead your team to the next level in the new year on the Express Employer Resources page.

How did you developed your team this past year? What are you focused on in 2021 to ensure a culture of employee development? Let us know in the comments section below!

, , , , , ,

One Response to Year in Review: Focusing on Workplace Development

  1. Gary Watson December 1, 2020 at 9:29 pm #

    I got a great performance evaluation from my manager, but I must say that our department has one of the best teams ever. We really accomplished great things even with the pandemic.

Leave a Reply