Reconsider: What does it mean to develop people?

In my last article, I talked about training subordinates according to their “personalities”. Based on the basic premise that our subordinates’ personalities are different from our own, we started by understanding their personalities, and we conveyed the importance of devising ways to communicate with them so that the desired balance between character and persona can be achieved.

In this final article on people development, I would like to rethink the question, “What does it mean to develop people?”

One of the fundamental questions about nurturing people is “Whose challenge is it to nurture (grow)? And I have told you that the answer to that question is that “the challenges of the person are his/her own.”

In other words, all of this is premised on the recognition that “the challenges of subordinates are theirs” from the supervisor’s perspective, and “ my challenges are my own” from the subordinate’s perspective.

It is easy to express in words, but it is surprisingly difficult to “correctly recognize” this. Since this point is easily misunderstood, I would like to go a little further and explain it.

“The challenge belongs to my subordinates. But…”

First of all, it is an undeniable fact that, from the supervisor’s point of view, “the challenges of subordinates are theirs. However, if supervisors are too conscious of this, there is a risk that the subordinates will feel as if they are being shunned.

It is true that you cannot take over the task of addressing the challenges. However, whether or not a subordinate is able to face a challenge depends to a large extent on the efforts of those around him or her.

It is also true that “anyone can grow depending on the environment,” and those who are in charge of nurturing must be keenly aware of this fact. Providing active support to help individuals address challenges on their own is exactly what “people development” is all about.

On the other hand, if subordinates think too much that their growth depends on their environment, their awareness of solving their own challenges will weaken. It is better for subordinates to be strongly aware that “their challenges are their own.”

In other words, the pattern of successful people development is when each of the supervisor and subordinate has the following recognition.

Supervisor: The challenges they face are their own, but depending on my own approach, I may be able to provide strong support to help them address these challenges.

Subordinate: The challenges are my own, and I will take ownership of them while making the best use of the environment around me, including support from my supervisor.

It is no good if this is reversed. Namely, it will never work if the supervisor shuns the subordinate, saying, “The subordinate’s challenges are his/her own,” and the subordinate is dependent on others for his/her growth, saying, “My growth depends on the environment.”

Never push your subordinates away, but keep an eye on them

There is a saying, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.”

I believe that this expresses well the essence of people development.

With reference to this proverb, “taking a horse to water” is a supportive environment, while “whether or not it drinks water” is a challenge for subordinates. A person cannot be forced by his/her surroundings to drink water. It is up to the subordinate’s will and timing to decide whether or not to drink water.

On the other hand, does the support from the supervisor end when he/she takes them to the waterfront? It is not enough to say, “Do as you want” after taking them to the water’s edge.

The image of continuing to support them without pushing them away is the sense of keeping an eye on what that subordinate will do after taking them to the waterfront. In some cases, it is acceptable to talk to them. However, as mentioned earlier, you cannot force him/her to “drink water.”

As you watch over the subordinate, if he or she has any hesitation or questions, you reach out to them. In this way, you continue to watch over your subordinates until they make a move. I believe that this is the balance between considering the challenges of your subordinates to be theirs, but not pushing them too far.

Making a decision or taking action on something is a very valuable experience for your subordinates. It may be said that it is the “most delicious fruit” in life. Save the harvesting and tasting of that fruit for your subordinates.

What one grasps for oneself will become the foundation of one’s life. Therefore, let him or her make the choice and the decision.

All that those around him/her can do is “provide options,” and all that remains is to keep a warm eye on him/her. This is the essence of any kind of education.

Accept the gravity of the impact of your worldview as a supervisor on your subordinates

Even if the supervisor does not directly guide the subordinate, in the act of “giving choices” and “watching over” the subordinate, the supervisor’s view of the world has a significant impact on the subordinate’s growth.

As long as you are involved in the personal growth of others, it is inevitable that you will have a significant impact on the work life of your subordinates. I am sure that your first supervisor had a great impact on you when you first entered the workforce. Supervisors need to be prepared for and fear having such a large impact on the work lives of their subordinates.

I would like to share my thoughts on how a supervisor’s view of the world affects the development of his/her subordinates, using the metaphor of a comic story.

The subordinate is the “protagonist” in the story and the supervisor is the “story producer.” The protagonist solves the challenges he faces in the story by himself, and the story producer does not appear in the story.

However, the author’s intentions play a large role in the overall theme of the story. In the following diagram, I use the manga “Slam Dunk” as an example to organize the primary and underlying themes of a story.

One of the underlying themes here is the story producer’s worldview. This is the foundation on which a great story is woven.

People development is similar. The protagonist of the story is the subordinate. The story then evolves around the protagonist. On the other hand, the “ supervisor’s” view of the world cannot help but influence what kind of story the subordinate will go through.

The more mature the supervisor’s view of the world, the better the story can be woven. In other words, the quality of people development depends on how much the supervisor can grow (≒ mature).

This is exactly what the phrase “teaching is the greatest learning experience. To “ develop people” is to try to move yourself on the path to maturity.

If you take people development seriously, you will not only have the possibility of helping others to have a better life, but you will also open up possibilities for your own life. The more essential support you provide to others, the more will come back to you. People development is a topic that has such a profound impact on us.

In today’s business environment, people development is often viewed as a means to an end, a way to achieve a goal. This is not to say that such a view is wrong, but considering that it has a significant impact on both subordinates and superiors, there may be a way of thinking of people development itself as one of the purposes.

This article concludes the chapter on people development. Thank you very much for reading to the end.

Here are the quests of the day. (If you’d like, please share your thoughts in the comments.)

・Think of a supervisor who, for you, has nurtured you. What was his/her philosophy on people development?

・What does people development mean to you?

Bunshiro Ochiai