Anna Farmery at the Engaging Brand blog has a nice post about what you can do to develop your team members.
She has some good and (most importantly) easily actionable tips for helping develop the skills of your team.
Anna asks for more contributions from her readers, so here are some from me that I’ve found since I’ve been managing a team:
Don’t be afraid to look back – encourage self-review of all projects and situations, both good and bad. The most powerful learning points are those that team members realise themselves when they take a step back at the end of an experience.
Encourage knowledge sharing – all your team members know things that others don’t, so encourage them to share their knowledge and experience with each other and you. Your team as a whole will benefit, and it’s a great way for an individual to raise confidence in their professional ability.
Avoid comfort zones / the norm – when managing the team, makes sure you don’t fall into a rut of expectations. Ask different team members to do different things, rather than always relying on the same person to do the same type of activity. Doing this will develop the team and will encourage better teamworking.
Ask for feedback – create a open climate where your team can give you honest feedback about your performance as a manager. That feedback can help you improve what you do – and therefore help your team as well.
Anna writes a really interesting blog – if you’re interested in self-development or personal branding I’d encourage you to pay her a visit at the Engaging Brand. She also has a podcast although I haven’t had a chance to check this out yet, but I will be doing so very soon.