From job description to talent development: time for a new approach

Most schools’ and educational institutions’ goal seems simple: to continuously improve the quality of education, based on a long-term strategic vision. But this is by no means an easy feat in education, where teacher shortages, work pressure and a search for appropriate education are still very much a fact. Time for a cultural change. A new awareness which will literally give the team responsibility for the implementation of long-term goals for better education, making sure there’s room for that dot on the horizon in boards, boards of directors and HR departments.

Willpower

The obvious question for the school management in this respect is: how do you ensure the carefully formulated objectives for improving the quality of education remain with the employees? How can you ensure the sustainable ideals for the future are actually realised? The secret primarily lies with the employees themselves. They have a wealth of knowledge, expertise, skills and motivation at their disposal. Pure willpower to do what they are good at. To use their own talents where they are needed the most. As long as they are given the opportunity.

It’s the deployment of those roles and talents which will create ownership among the school’s employees. These dedicated employees will take on projects and enter into new collaborations, focused on the goals to be realised, based on their own motives. Not because the management has to, or because it forms part of their job description, but because they understand the importance of it and know they can achieve more from their own role and their own talents. Whilst having fun too.

Using talents

Instead of working with a job house and well-defined job descriptions, you can also look at the specific roles which have been deployed. Are the (undervalued) employee talents used sufficiently? Are employees sufficiently motivated and are they doing what they prefer to do? Are employees aware of their talents? The more space employees are given to develop themselves, the more good ideas will eventually come to fruition. Allow employees to think for themselves about how education can be improved and which role they want to play in this. This will ensure they feel more involved in the long-term vision, will take responsibility more quickly and will be proud of what they have achieved. It requires trust and openness to give employees room to do so and for management to take on a more facilitating role. Quite a challenge, but not an impossible one.

Job Journey

Job Journey believes everyone should take ownership of their career. Accessibly anchoring for every employee will ensure all skills and competencies within an organisation become clearly visible and allow for the right connections to be made between talents and challenging projects. This will generally allow employees to create their own work happiness. Because they are shaping their own career and doing what they are good at. What they are passionate about. And people who are happy in their work will leave less often and perform better. What’s more, the trust placed in the employee will also help to bond with the school as an employer and will result in more of a sense of freedom where developing one’s own talents is concerned. Each and every one of these aspects can practically only benefit the propagation of the long-term strategy.

The road to happiness

The Job Journey platform offers employees a way to map out their journey to happiness at work. They can visualise their own competencies, skills and roles and record ambitions in a personal digital portfolio. And the employees themselves are in control of their journey to the final destination. This results in passionate employees, who are motivated to achieve higher goals, because they are given the freedom to do so in their own way. In the right role and with the use of your own talents. This, in turn, means the management and board’s long-term vision becomes their long-term vision. Their dream.

Improving education is something you do together

We have the opportunity to improve the quality of education, both now and in the future. Not only on paper, but also in practice. As long as you do it together with the employees and assume a form of autonomy based on the employees’ talents and ambitions. This is how you create enthusiastic ambassadors, who will do everything in their power to make education better. And then that dot on the horizon won’t be all that far away anymore.