Back to resources

Motivating Development Through Employee Enrichment

Leadership
Productivity

26 April, 2021

Tamara Gevorgyan

Tamara Gevorgyan

Director of Engineering at PicsArt

Tamara Gevorgyan, Director of Engineering at PicsArt, hosts a biweekly knowledge-sharing session in order to encourage her team to make learning a continuous part of their professional journeys.

Problem

 

I manage a junior engineer who I noticed was having some trouble understanding some of the work that we were doing that involved class diagrams in Unified Modeling Language. When I identified this obstacle, I directed her to an educational resource that would help her to investigate the topic in order to gain a better grasp on the knowledge required to succeed. Soon, she was demonstrating proficiency in all of the areas where she was struggling before, sharing with me what she has learned in our one-on-ones.  

Depending on the level of the employee and the problem that they seem to be having, you need to identify the root cause in order to present a good solution. There is always a learning area that can help an employee overcome an obstacle.

 

Actions taken

 

There are many platforms that offer enrichment programs for professionals in our industry. There is Linkedin and Udemy, among others, and if our employees want to take a deep dive into education in some area, we always suggest some learning sessions for them. Many of these third-party services are integrated, allowing your reports to choose the position that they hold and the areas that they want to focus on; the program then suggests training courses relevant to what they do.  

As a group, after taking these courses, we all make presentations and express what we’ve all learned in a knowledge-sharing session with the entire team. One person learns about something and then conveys the lesson to the rest of our group, along with some of our goals. If another team member sees that they can help with the goals of another, they can suggest different types of training or topics to study. After learning, everybody comes back together again, and everybody ends up benefiting equally. It is very motivating.  

If there is nothing specific that we can all be training in, these gatherings become knowledge-sharing sessions in general. I’m sharing what I know, about people management, about books that I’ve read recently, something new that I’ve tried, anything at all. They do the same for me, as well. It’s not a formal meeting. It’s very friendly and fun. We do this bi-weekly when possible, and once a month at the very least.

 

Lessons learned

 

  • We keep a list so that anybody who wants to share or to learn about something can document the need or the desire. This helps us keep an agenda of how we would like to spend this time with one another.
  • Productivity improves as a result of these sessions. The team becomes more motivated and enthusiastic.
  • Always share what you’ve learned with the people who you manage. This will inspire people to learn more themselves. They look forward to having something to share in the next meeting.

Discover Plato

Scale your coaching effort for your engineering and product teams
Develop yourself to become a stronger engineering / product leader


Related stories

The Power of influence inside software engineering

9 April

As software engineers, we mainly talk about the power of tech skills and spending time learning new skills. However, there is also the influence that impacts your career as well.

Productivity
Career Growth
Strategy and Vision
Otavio Santana

Otavio Santana

Java champion, software engineer, architect, and open-source Contributor at Independent Technical Advisor

4 E's of Leadership

21 March

A short overview of a very effective leadership assessment by Jack Welch, that is easily transferred to other industries is the 4Es of leadership – energy, energize, edge, and execution.

Leadership
Career Growth
Strategy and Vision
Ramesh Dewangan

Ramesh Dewangan

CEO at Quantum Vision Consulting

Performing Focused Work in a Distracted World

21 March

Based on an awesome book titled "Deep Work" by Cal Newport we provide provide a brief overview of the Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World.

Leadership
Productivity
Communication and Collaboration
Ramesh Dewangan

Ramesh Dewangan

CEO at Quantum Vision Consulting

Beware the Empathy Trap

21 March

Is it possible to be too empathetic? If you overdo it, it can be an energy sucker.

Leadership
Conflict Resolution
Team Management
Managing Stress and Burnout
Melanie Zens

Melanie Zens

Delivery & Operations / Digital Transformation / Innovation at Marais Consulting Inc

Applying The Rules of IKIGAI for a more fulfilled life!

20 March

Learn about 10 rules from the wisdom of these long-living residents from Ogimi, a small village in Okinawa, Japan. You could interpret the rules as the lifestyle habits that enable the senior residents of Ogami to live long and enjoy their ikigai.

Leadership
Productivity
Career Growth
Communication and Collaboration
Hiring, Retaining, or Firing
Managing Stress and Burnout
Ramesh Dewangan

Ramesh Dewangan

CEO at Quantum Vision Consulting