The True Value of Individual Contributors
There is a belief that climbing your way to the top and becoming a manager of other people is the definition of success. Sometimes, we inadvertently extend that thinking to suggest that ambition means the same thing: the desire to work your way to the top in order to directly oversee a team, a department, a division, or an entire organization. Even the phrase “working your way to the top” implies a climb towards management. But some of us don’t have a “climb the ladder” viewpoint. Does that mean we’re really content to stay in one place? Absolutely not. Believing that people who are not interested in becoming leaders are also not interested in any other kind of career growth is sure to create retention issues for any organization.
In truth, people are dynamic, unique and eager to make the most of themselves. Sure, you’ll come across the truly lazy employees, the ones with no aspiration at all, but for the most part, all people want to develop their talents and grow.
Despite our similar desire to move forward, we don’t all want the same things and we don’t all get there the same way. That’s what makes The Omnia Assessment such a valuable tool. It measures core personality traits. Some of us are cautious (me), while others take risks. Some of us are introverted (also me), while others are energized by social interaction. Some of us undertake tasks with urgency, while others move methodically. And finally, some of us examine details while others stick to the big picture.
Individuals that fall into the proactive categories have the best natural aptitude for managing people, but that doesn’t mean all proactive personalities should manage. Some may not have the desire to lead while others simply might not be good at it despite those aptitudes. At the same time, there are plenty of reactive, nonassertive personality types who have risen to the ultimate heights of leadership, from politics to running global corporations. Those examples aside, it is still generally true that many management roles are best filled by assertive types and supportive roles are best filled by cautious types.
The myth I hope to dispel is that those cautious types don’t want or need to grow in their jobs. Simply because one does not aspire to manage does not mean they do not aspire at all. In fact, opportunities for development and growth continue to be a top 5 need for employees. If that need is not filled, employees are quick to leave for a company that does provide opportunity for growth.
Speaking from personal experience, nonassertive personality types can be pretty competitive. Maybe not in the traditional sense of the word, but we all want to be winners in our careers and that means a path of steady development. We want to accomplish goals, acquire new skills and continually learn. The good news is, there are many ways to grow and excel as an individual contributor to an organization.
Let’s talk about how to see and capitalize on the true value of your individual contributors.
First, what is an individual contributor? Per Indeed.com, an individual contributor “is a professional without management responsibilities who contributes to an organization independently to help support its goals and mission.” I love that. And I think we all agree, that’s as vital to an organization as management. After all, who is producing the work that our managers are overseeing?
Business, like life, is yin and yang. So, how do we provide professional growth and development to this vital group of employees?
Rethink Growth
First, celebrate the fact that we can rely on our individual contributors to support the organization and excel in their roles. Often, we promote our star employee into a leadership role that they are not a fit for simply because they do their current job so well. This happens in sales, professional roles and support positions. It seems like the next logical step in order to keep them. But, if the management position doesn’t work out, we often lose the employee altogether because stepping back is too embarrassing and demoralizing. There’s nothing worse than saying goodbye to an A-player.
Second, build career paths for leadership AND individual contributors, so your top talent can continue to grow while supporting the business in a way that works long term for them and for the organization. Two distinct growth paths will encourage those who do not want to lead or might not be good at leading to see opportunity rather than a dead end. Of course, there will be a myriad of paths within the two broad categories based on the various areas of the business.
Individual contributor paths might include things like job levels and specializations. For example, you can have a junior analyst position lead into an analyst, senior analyst and lead analyst position. Each level requires a certain set of competencies that must be achieved along with a defined amount of experience. Pay increases can be based on the new skills and experience attained to move up to the new role.
And some of that skill development should absolutely be leadership oriented. It’s possible to be a leader even if you don’t manage people. Leadership soft skills can be used to mentor lower levels, lead projects and participate in the strategic direction of the department, division or business as a whole. Individual contributors may not want to manage people, but they could want to move into roles that have more influence, visibility and decision-making authority, as well as less direct oversight. They can work into roles that determine direction, facilitate relationships with key stakeholders or lead important projects.
Best of all, you are retaining top talent with ever-increasing skills, experience, and knowledge that they are using to make your organization more successful. It’s a cumulative effect!
Let’s wrap up with some action steps toward capitalizing on your individual contributors.
Action Steps
Define why/how individual contributor paths can benefit your business, such as attract and retain exceptional talent, create a stronger company culture and compete in the marketplace.
Start with your organizational chart to create paths for advancing through the various departments and/or business functions.
Define the jobs at each level and then the competencies needed (hard/soft skills, experience, education, training, etc.)
Identify training needs and determine if you should create your own training programs or outsource.
Document the career paths.
Use the career paths to help map an employee’s growth starting with onboarding.
Use the power of behavioral insight to better understand every employee’s unique traits, strengths, and challenges. The more data you have, the more effective you will be at developing your team and providing career opportunities that work for them and for the organization.
