Development is the thing managers know they should prioritise but consistently deprioritise. There is always something more urgent: a deadline, a production issue, a stakeholder who needs an update. And so the development conversations get pushed to next month, the growth plans gather dust, and talented people quietly start looking elsewhere because they have stopped learning. The irony is that investing in your team's development is one of the highest-leverage activities a manager can perform. A team that is growing is a team that stays, delivers better work, and requires less of your time over the long run.
Development is not something that happens in an annual review. It happens in the daily decisions about who gets which opportunity, which projects stretch people, and how you respond when someone takes a risk and it does not work out.
Identifying where people need to grow
Before you can help someone develop, you need to understand where they are now and where they want to go. These are not always the same thing, and the gap between the two is where your work as a manager lives. Some people know exactly what they want - a promotion, a new skill, a different type of work. Others have a vague sense of dissatisfaction but cannot articulate what is missing. Both are worth exploring.
- Observe their work closelyPay attention to where someone thrives and where they struggle. Notice what energises them and what drains them. These patterns tell you more than any self-assessment form. Someone who consistently avoids a certain type of task may need support, or they may need a different role.
- Ask what they wantIt sounds obvious, but many managers never ask. "Where do you want to be in a year? What skills do you want to build? What kind of work excites you?" These questions open doors that stay shut if you only talk about current deliverables.
- Look at the role requirementsIf your organisation has a career framework or competency model, use it. Compare where the person is today against the expectations for the next level. Identify the specific gaps rather than offering generic development advice.
- Gather broader inputYour perspective is one data point. Talk to peers, stakeholders, and collaborators who work closely with the person. They may see strengths and blind spots that are not visible from your vantage point.
Creating a development plan that works
A development plan is only useful if it is specific, realistic, and revisited regularly. A document that says "improve communication skills" with no further detail is not a plan - it is a wish. Good development plans connect the skill to build, the opportunity to build it, and the timeframe for reviewing progress. They should be co-created with the person, not imposed from above.
- Pick one or two focus areasTrying to develop five skills at once means developing none of them. Help the person prioritise. What is the one thing that, if improved, would have the biggest impact on their effectiveness or career trajectory? Start there.
- Define what good looks likeIf the goal is to improve stakeholder communication, what does that actually mean? Presenting confidently in steering committees? Writing clearer status updates? Managing expectations proactively? Be specific enough that both of you can recognise progress.
- Attach it to real workDevelopment happens through doing, not through reading about doing. Find a project, a responsibility, or a stretch assignment that gives the person a chance to practise the skill in a real context. A leadership course is fine; leading an actual initiative is better.
- Set review checkpointsAgree on when you will revisit the plan - monthly is a good cadence for most development goals. Use your 1-1s to check in on progress, adjust the approach if needed, and keep the plan alive. Manager Toolkit lets you set targets and track them over time so development goals do not get buried under operational noise.
Supporting learning in practice
Sending someone on a course is not development. It can be part of it, but the vast majority of learning happens through experience - by doing hard things, making mistakes, reflecting on what happened, and trying again. Your role as a manager is to create the conditions where this cycle can happen safely and frequently.
- Delegate with intentionEvery task you delegate is a development opportunity if you frame it that way. Instead of just handing off work, explain why you chose this person for this task and what you think they will learn from it. Context turns a chore into growth.
- Normalise failureIf people are punished for taking risks, they will stop taking them. When someone tries something new and it does not work, focus the debrief on what they learned rather than what went wrong. The team watches how you respond to failure, and it shapes their willingness to stretch.
- Create feedback loopsLearning without feedback is guesswork. After a stretch assignment, sit down and review how it went. What worked? What would they do differently? What did they discover about themselves? This reflection is where learning solidifies.
- Connect them with othersYou are not the only source of development. Introduce people to colleagues, mentors, and networks who can offer different perspectives. Pairing a junior team member with a senior one on a project can accelerate growth faster than any formal programme.
- Protect their learning timeIf every hour of someone's week is filled with delivery work, there is no space to learn. Advocate for dedicated time - whether it is a learning day, conference attendance, or simply time to explore a new tool. Growth requires slack in the system.
Recognising and celebrating growth
Development is a long process, and without recognition along the way, people lose motivation. You do not need to wait for a promotion to acknowledge growth. The small progressions matter: the first time someone leads a meeting confidently, the first piece of feedback they deliver well, the first time they handle a difficult situation without escalating to you.
Name it. Say "I noticed you handled that stakeholder conversation really well - six months ago, that would have gone differently." Specific recognition tied to effort and growth is one of the most motivating things a manager can offer. It costs nothing and it tells people that their development is being observed, valued, and supported.
- Be specificSaying "great job" is nice but forgettable. Saying "the way you reframed the client's concern into a concrete action plan was exactly the kind of stakeholder management we have been working on" tells the person precisely what they did well and why it matters.
- Recognise effort, not just outcomesSometimes someone stretches into a new area and the result is not perfect. Acknowledge the courage it took to try. If you only celebrate successes, you inadvertently punish the learning process.
- Make it visibleShare growth stories with your own manager and with the broader team when appropriate. Public recognition amplifies the motivation and signals to others that development is genuinely valued on your team.
- Connect it to the futureTie recognition to what comes next. "You have shown you can lead a workstream - let us talk about what kind of project you want to take on next" turns a moment of celebration into a springboard for the next stage of growth.
Turn development goals into progress
Set targets, track actions, and review growth over time with tools built for thoughtful managers.