9
OPINION
Unlocking true potential
I ’m passionate about employee development, which I define as building up the careers of the people you work with. This goes beyond professional development or training; you can send people to conferences for those things. Real staff development involves a long-term commitment to shaping individuals into better professionals and people. Meaningful employee growth goes beyond trainings and workshops – it takes time, trust, feedback, and a clear path forward.
Adam White, PE
Having spent nearly 20 years at Garver, where I’ve been given both the autonomy and support to forge my own path, I’ve identified three strategies that are key for effective employee development. 1. Invest time and be intentional. To truly develop your team, it’s essential to engage in frequent interactions. Within your team, you need to intentionally carve out time for one- on-one conversations, preferably in-person. These interactions allow you to understand an employee’s challenges and thoughts, moving beyond superficial hallway or “Teams” exchanges to build genuine connections. You need to be the one to initiate these meetings, because without your proactive approach they may never happen or won’t occur often enough to make a significant impact. This process is time-consuming, so it’s important to be selective.
Assess your workload and theirs to determine if you can dedicate the necessary time. While it’s ideal to spend time with everyone, it’s simply not feasible; there aren’t enough hours in the day. Being intentional means focusing efforts so that you achieve meaningful impacts. I adhere to the one-to-seven rule from the book Love Works , which suggests that six to seven is the optimal number of people you can effectively mentor at any given time. When you sit down for these conversations, delve deep, and ask probing, open-ended questions, such as, “Tell me why you made that decision” or, “What do you think the next step is?” Try not to immediately solve problems but rather discuss the path to future solutions. Discuss strategies for navigating tricky situations or handling difficult contractors or
See ADAM WHITE , page 10
THE ZWEIG LETTER JULY 7, 2025, ISSUE 1592
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker