From Motive to Plan: The Three Steps to Effective Employee Development
As a team leader, one of your primary responsibilities is to help your team members develop and grow. Developing a comprehensive employee development plan is critical to achieving this goal. Without a clear plan in place, employees may struggle to identify their areas of growth, lack motivation to achieve their goals, and ultimately hinder team and organizational success. This is where the Motive-Aspiration-Plan (MAP) framework comes in. By using a structured approach, team leaders can help employees identify their areas for development, define clear goals, and create a roadmap for success. In this article, we will introduce the MAP framework and provide strategies for each of its components to help you create effective employee development plans.
The MAP framework consists of three components:
Motive (Why)
Aspiration (What)
Plan (How)
Motive (Why)
The first step in the MAP framework is to help the employee identify their underlying reason(s) for wanting to pursue a particular development goal. This could include personal interests, career aspirations, or the desire to develop new skills. The employee's Motive defines their purpose for pursuing the plan and should answer the question, "Why is this goal important to me?"
As a team leader, you can help the employee identify their Motive by using the following strategies:
Provide feedback on the employee's performance to help them understand where they have room for improvement.
Ask the employee to reflect on specific situations where they felt they could have performed better. This can help them identify performance gaps and areas for improvement.
Use coaching techniques such as asking open-ended questions and active listening to help employees explore their motivations and interests.
Help the employee see the bigger picture by connecting their development goals with the team and organizational goals. This can help them understand how their development can contribute to the overall success of the team and organization.
By helping the employee identify their Motive, you can help them create a personal connection to the goal, which can increase their motivation and commitment to achieving it. Additionally, you can help the employee understand how addressing performance gaps can improve their overall performance and contribute to the team and organizational success.
For example, if the employee is struggling with communication skills, you can help them identify why improving their communication skills is important to them. This might involve asking them to reflect on specific situations where their communication skills fell short and exploring how improving these skills can help them be a more effective team member. By using coaching techniques and helping the employee see the bigger picture, you can help them identify their Motive and create a personal connection to the goal.
Aspiration (What)
The second step in the MAP framework is to help the employee define their Aspiration. This should be a clear and specific goal that aligns with the employee's personal and professional goals. The employee's Aspiration defines the desired outcome of their goal and should answer the question, "What do I want to achieve?"
As a team leader, you can help the employee define their Aspiration by using the following strategies:
Encourage the employee to reflect on their personal and professional goals. This can help them identify areas where they want to grow and develop.
Ask the employee to identify specific challenges or opportunities that they want to tackle. This can help them define a specific and relevant outcome.
Help the employee brainstorm potential outcomes and goals. This can involve asking open-ended questions and using active listening to understand the employee's perspective.
Use previous performance reviews or feedback from colleagues to help the employee identify areas for improvement and potential development goals.
Work with the employee to align their development goals with the team and organizational goals. This can help the employee see how their development can contribute to the overall success of the team and organization.
By defining the employee's Aspiration, you can help ensure that the goal is challenging enough to inspire the employee to work hard and grow their skills. This can increase their motivation and commitment to achieving it.
For example, if the employee's development goal is to improve their communication skills, their Aspiration might be to be able to deliver presentations confidently and effectively to large audiences. By helping the employee brainstorm potential outcomes and goals, you can help them define a specific and relevant outcome that is challenging enough to inspire them to work hard and grow their skills.
Plan (How)
The third step in the MAP framework is to help the employee develop a specific plan of action for achieving their desired outcome. This involves outlining the steps that the employee will take to achieve their development goal, including specific learning opportunities and a timeline for completion. The employee's Plan outlines the specific milestones of progress and accomplishment they will need to reach to achieve their Aspiration and should answer the question, "How will I achieve my goal?"
As a team leader, you can help the employee develop their Plan by using the following strategies:
Work with the employee to break their development goal down into smaller, manageable tasks. This can help them avoid feeling overwhelmed and ensure that they are making steady progress.
Identify specific learning opportunities that will help the employee develop the skills and knowledge needed to achieve their desired outcome. This might include training courses, workshops, job shadowing, or mentoring.
Create a timeline for completion that includes specific deadlines for each milestone of progress. This can help the employee stay on track and avoid procrastination.
Help the employee track their progress and celebrate their accomplishments along the way. This can help them stay motivated and committed to achieving their development goal.
By developing a specific Plan, the employee can stay focused and motivated as they work towards their desired outcome. Additionally, having a clear plan in place can help the employee identify and address any potential roadblocks or challenges that may arise.
For example, suppose the employee's development goal is to improve their communication skills. In that case, their Plan might include:
Attending a communication skills training course.
Practicing active listening techniques in team meetings.
Delivering a presentation to the team.
By breaking the development goal down into smaller, manageable tasks and identifying specific learning opportunities, you can help the employee develop a realistic and achievable plan.
In conclusion, the MAP framework is a simple and effective tool that team leaders can use to help employees achieve their development goals. By using the framework's three steps, team leaders can help employees identify their Motive, define a challenging Aspiration, and develop a specific Plan. This can contribute to the employee's personal and professional growth and team and organizational success.
MAP Framework Assessment for Team Leaders
Instructions: Answer each question honestly based on your current practices.
Do you have a structured framework for creating employee development plans?
Yes, I use a specific framework
I have a general process, but it's not a structured framework
No, I don't have a structured process for creating employee development plans
Do you spend enough time helping your employees identify their development needs?
Yes, I invest time in understanding my employees' development needs
I could spend more time on this step
No, I don't spend enough time understanding my employees' development needs
Do you ensure that employee development goals align with team and organizational goals?
Yes, I align employee development goals with team and organizational goals
I try to align employee development goals, but it's not always clear how they align with team and organizational goals
No, I don't align employee development goals with team and organizational goals
Do you help your employees create specific and challenging development goals?
Yes, I help my employees create specific and challenging development goals
I could do more to help my employees create specific and challenging development goals
No, I don't help my employees create specific and challenging development goals
Do you provide enough support and resources to help employees achieve their development goals?
Yes, I provide ample support and resources to help employees achieve their development goals
I could provide more support and resources to help employees achieve their development goals
No, I don't provide enough support and resources to help employees achieve their development goals
Do you track employee progress and celebrate their accomplishments?
Yes, I regularly track employee progress and celebrate their accomplishments
I could do more to track employee progress and celebrate their accomplishments
No, I don't track employee progress or celebrate their accomplishments
Do you regularly evaluate the effectiveness of your employee development plans and make necessary adjustments?
Yes, I regularly evaluate the effectiveness of my employee development plans and make necessary adjustments
I could do more to evaluate the effectiveness of my employee development plans and make necessary adjustments
No, I don't regularly evaluate the effectiveness of my employee development plans or make necessary adjustments
Scoring: For questions 1-7, give yourself a score of 2 for Yes, 1 for Sometimes, and 0 for No.
Interpreting your score:
12-14: Advanced Level - Congratulations, you are using a structured process for creating employee development plans effectively. Keep up the good work!
7-11: Competent Level - You have a general process for creating employee development plans, but there is room for improvement. Identify areas where you could improve and develop a plan for addressing them.
0-6: Beginner Level - You need a structured process for creating employee development plans. Consider using the MAP framework or another structured process to help you create effective employee development plans.