How do you help your team members develop new skills and grow professionally, even during periods of high demand?

I integrate skill development into the performance management process. We set annual goals and track progress quarterly, dedicating time for training. We encourage team members to block their calendars and avoid the office on training days to prevent interruptions. Our retail cycle includes a change freeze from late November through December, providing an opportunity for training if it wasn't completed earlier in the year. Sometimes, setting an artificial deadline, like December 31st, helps ensure training is completed. By including it in writing and budgeting for it, we hold ourselves and the team accountable, ensuring timely completion.

We are quite diligent about individual development plans, revisiting them every six months. At the start of the fiscal year, we ask team members what they want to learn or achieve, encouraging them to list their goals. I assist them in finding the necessary funds to pursue these goals. Although many seasoned employees feel their current workload is sufficient, we encourage them to engage in learning opportunities. Six months later, we follow up to see how they're progressing, acting as accountability partners. While our approach may be basic, it is consistent.