As we continue our New Year's resolutions, next up is employee development.
Erik Linn is an entrepreneur and innovator who is also a product of the financial consulting industry. Beginning his career with Arthur Andersen, Erik learned the importance of training and development of people and an "incredible commitment to quality service," something for which Andersen was noted.
After building and selling a consulting firm, Erik launched CrossCountry Consulting where he and his partners have made an unwavering commitment to employee learning and development, using many of the core Andersen values and programs.
The Philosophy
As CrossCountry is a consulting firm, you would expect subject matter training would be provided to all consultants. But, according to Linn, "CrossCountry offers a lot more. EVERY employee of the firm receives training and the training often focuses on performance and behavioral topics. It's important to first of all invest in ourselves." Further, Linn explained, "some of our core values and focus areas include how we communicate, how we manage people and how we treat each other."
It Starts at the Top
The most important "champion" of employee development is the CEO. Linn emphasizes that "there must be an unswerving commitment from the CEO which is then instilled in the top leadership team and ultimately embedded in the organization." Linn mentions that "his team members leave billing assignments to attend training and that there are no waivers from that commitment." He needs to walk the talk himself every day which he does. Linn joined a peer group - Young Presidents' Association - to improve his leadership skills. YPA is an expensive and time-consuming activity but Erik feels it has been well worth the commitment.
"There must be an unswerving commitment from the CEO which is then instilled in the top leadership team and ultimately embedded in the organization." |
The firm has a training director who reports to the COO. The director's job is made a lot easier because of the commitment from Erik and others on the leadership team.
Creating the Program
This is where the rubber hits the road and at CrossCountry the rubber is extraordinary. Erik assures that "we have a cascading message, one that is displayed not only in words but in actions."
Here is Erik's brief summary of his company's program.
- Employees are evaluated after each project and annually. An analysis of these reviews forms the basis of each individual development plan - every employee creates one.
- Competency areas requiring improvement are included in the goal setting process in January and February and training is directed to those areas.
- Training can be classroom based, online or one-on-one.
- Performance against the plan is measured throughout the year.
- There are formal, longer term sessions at each promotion level, some offsite.
- There is a "feedback" loop to manage the process for each person. No one gets lost or short changed in the development program.