Young managers - nurture your own job fulfilment

Does training lead to satisfaction in junior professionals and if not, what can they do about it?

In our March edition we looked at why more than half of young managers in the UK are so dissatisfied with their job that they want to move to a new one. It was based on research by international leadership development organisation Common Purpose which highlighted that young managers were looking for clearer development plans, broader training goals and closer alignment between work and personal ambitions.

In this article, we will look in even more detail at the causes of dissatisfaction in young managers and what they can do themselves to address these issues.

Does training lead to job fulfilment?

Common Purpose found that three quarters of the young managers it surveyed do receive training, but only a third of them, across sectors, find that training rewarding in terms of job fulfilment.

The private, public and not-for-profit sectors provide equal training opportunities, and are broadly equal when it comes to the success – or lack of it – in providing training which is inspiring to managers.

57% of all respondents claim that training helps them progress in their career within their organisation, but only 27% claim the training/development addresses their wider aspirations and life goals.

Only 36% of young managers say that the training/development increases their confidence and personal impact.

What would make training more fulfilling?

Young managers yearn for more specific, professional, skills-based training, said Common Purpose. Well over half the respondents cited the need for more specific development of professional skills. This need is particularly felt by junior and middle managers (60%).
A third of respondents want increased access to diverse people and new people outside their own sector while a similar percentage feel that more strategic development would make their roles more fulfilling. Again, this is particularly noticeable among junior and middle managers (50%). It is also felt by men (45%) more than women (22%).

Overall 44% of respondents feel that more access to peer-to-peer learning and external experiences would benefit them. This is felt more or less equally by all levels of seniority of managers, but more keenly by younger people (53% of under 25s).

Over a third of 30-34 year olds are looking for a closer fit between their organisation and their personal values. Over half the same age group are looking for a clearer development path and more opportunities to input to decision making that directly impacts their role and responsibility.

Are young managers taking matters into their own hands?

Three quarters of respondents have considered ways to make their jobs more fulfilling and only 16% say their employer has helped them.
Only a third feel they have had the support of their employer once they have investigated training/development opportunities themselves. Common Purpose’s 2004 survey found that 34% of young managers stated that their employers do not help them and 33% left companies after completing graduate training schemes.

Unfortunately 27% of young managers say they don’t know how to find out about training and development opportunities that will make their jobs and their lives more fulfilling.

The report offers some tips for employees looking to make progress in these areas:

• Put yourself forward for new projects, and suggest innovative ways of taking your organisation forward.
• Take on leadership roles outside your organisation.
• Connect with your peers in other sectors and consider ways that you can share knowledge and experience of management in your sectors. Work together to identify learning and development opportunities which you could offer each other.
• Broaden your network inside your organisation. This will help you to spot new opportunities to learn and develop.
• Let your employer know that you are keen to be challenged and developed by new and diverse experiences.

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July 2008

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What did you think of this article? Email tim.cooper@cimaglobal.com.