The debate: is it really up to you?

Leadership vs. employees and development. The debate is that 100% of leadership problems are because of the leadership. The other side of the conversation is that leadership cannot be held responsible for employees who do not want to develop, even when given all the tools and resources.

So. Who is the winner of the debate?

Let’s start with the employee perspective.

Employee A was hired to perform a specific job function, as the cool picture below represents!

I'm ready!

This employee was hired with the expectation of completing the given job task and completing it to the best of their ability. Sounds about normal.

This employee does what it takes to complete the job task and at their ability level. The employee begins to work for the company long term and notices trends…

(1) They are asked to do more than is expected.

(2) They are the “Go-To” for crunch time for last-minute projects.

(3) They are given little communication and more direction.

Employee A is doing what is being asked and completing all (3) situations above day in and day out.

One day the employee overhears the plant leader talking about leadership development and a bench training program that employees could enroll in.

The employee is curious but never asks.

Here’s part of the debate.

The employee has knowledge of “leadership training” but does not take advantage of asking or finding out more information.

The old saying...” You want something, then you go get it.”

If an employee wants to do more, then they should go find out how to do more. Be more self-leading.

OK. Pause. Question. Is this really an employee issue or a leadership issue?

Before we get to the answer, let’s look at the other side from a leadership perspective.

The leader hired employee A, and that leader sent the employee through the typical onboarding experience. The employee sat at a computer and did modules, then spent time with HR and covered the employee handbook. That employee was given a mentor (long-term) employee and then was set off on their own to do the job.

The leader, over time, noticed the employee catching on and began to give more tasks to the employee. The employee accepted.

One day, the leader was having a conversation about the training program and shared that anyone interested in it should see management for more information.

Okay. Pause. Question. Is it not the leader’s job to talk to employees and notice that they have more skills and could do more with the company?

So, is it the leader's responsibility to manage every employee and do their day-to-day work to ensure the business is running smoothly and on top to find out who wants to do more?

Now let’s settle our debate.

The answer.

There is no answer. This scenario is the reality of many workplace cultures. I know there are many of you saying, "Really."

When there is no answer, you ask the question!

In fact, I would bet money that at some point, you may have even felt deep down that little “heated” emotion and expressed some strong opinions in your mind after reading this. That’s okay. I did too.

It’s a battle of back and forth.

As a leadership keynote speaker and operating a leadership consulting company, I am all the time telling leaders that they need to take more responsibility and own their employee development experience more, but I also know all too well that some employees will never take ownership. It’s a tough battle.

It is very tough to be a leader. Real Talk.

Higher powers demand more from you and may even only talk to you when things are wrong, and oftentimes have extreme expectations.

Does that make those leaders wrong? NO.

They, too, have people to answer and typically shareholders who are expecting results. It’s the way the program runs.

Going back to the point of this article.

If any answer is to be given, the answer is that both are at fault. Yes, I said it.

No one can develop you but you. If your mind is made up, you are not going to take advantage of the resources and tools leaders offer, then you cannot blame them for not developing you.

Your leadership is yours to lead.

Leaders, I will say we can always mark the box of continuous improvement because we could connect more with employees, relate to them, and dig into their aspirations.

If you are reading this and saying, “Well, it’s easy for you to blame leadership, Dustin,” then understand that I was guilty of this during my corporate leadership career. I failed to spend time asking key questions about how I could help the employee develop or ask those questions and learn that the employee may need a new role in the company or something else to inspire them.

This article aims to kick off the year with the perspective that maybe I need to do more this year and, more importantly, begin to do more this very day.

I might be an employee reading this who has not taken control of my leadership development or career development and invested in working on myself to better my situation.

I might be a leader reading this and realizing that I have not connected with my team the way I should. I need to learn more about what the organization can do as I represent that organization as a leader.

The bottom line is that we as people should strive to own our development.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once talked about the fact that the greatest resource a human being has is their knowledge. Once you gain a piece of information for yourself, no one can remove it, which makes you dangerous!

A powerful message from a hero who developed his own being and inspired many others to develop themselves.