Robert Hewes, an executive coach with Camden Consulting Group, advises CIOs on how to foster positive change in under-performing team members. Always select one important professional development skill or competence that your staff member needs to develop or improve. To identify that goal, look at the work that needs to be done. Perhaps the person needs to sharpen a technical skill, develop a strategic skill, handle conflict better or communicate more effectively. Talk with your staff member and have them create a short write-up of what the goal is, why it’s valuable and what steps they can take to achieve it. Then—and here is the part that makes a big difference but that most people skip—look for work opportunities where the person can apply this goal. To cap the effort, check in every other month for the next several months to discuss progress toward the goal. Sometimes take the opportunity to offer real-time feedback about an area of professional development in their current role. This is not something you will the have time to do weekly, but keeping an eye out for learning opportunities can make a difference. Providing real-time actionable feedback will go a long way toward meeting your goal of positive change. Additionally, take time once a quarter to conduct group professional development exercises with your whole team. Everyone will get something out of it without anyone feeling singled out. Furthermore, it’s a tremendous way to promote team camaraderie. Never ignore it. Don’t let too much time pass without doing some form of professional development for your people. This is one of the cases where you are making an investment in people. We hear a lot about doing that, but turn the words into actions. Related content brandpost Sponsored by SAP Generative AI’s ‘show me the money’ moment We’re past the hype and slick gen AI sales pitches. Business leaders want results. By Julia White Nov 30, 2023 5 mins Artificial Intelligence brandpost Sponsored by Zscaler How customers capture real economic value with zero trust Unleashing economic value: Zscaler's Zero Trust Exchange transforms security architecture while cutting costs. By Zscaler Nov 30, 2023 4 mins Security brandpost Sponsored by SAP A cloud-based solution to rescue millions from energy poverty Aware of the correlation between energy and financial poverty, Savannah Energy is helping to generate clean, competitively priced electricity across Africa by integrating its old systems into one cloud-based platform. By Keith E. Greenberg, SAP Contributor Nov 30, 2023 5 mins Digital Transformation feature 8 change management questions every IT leader must answer Designed to speed adoption and achieve business outcomes, change management hasn’t historically been a strength of IT orgs. It’s time to flip that script by asking hard questions to hone change strategies. By Stephanie Overby Nov 30, 2023 10 mins Change Management Change Management IT Operations Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe