Five ways to support your team’s career development
One of the most rewarding things about leading a team is watching them grow. However, if you’re a first-time manager or small business owner, you might not be sure how to best support their career development.
It may seem complicated, especially if you have team members with different career goals, but the following advice helps break the process down into actionable steps.
Why is career development important?
Career development is always important, says Leah Lambart, Career Coach and Founder of Relaunch Me. Without it, people’s careers can stall and they might not achieve their professional goals.
This isn’t the sole responsibility of a manager. Employees have to take ownership of their careers, she says. However, managers can set employees up with the tools and opportunities to grow. This supports their personal development, keeping them engaged and motivated in their current role.
“The more motivated and happy someone is in a business, the better they perform,” says Kristine Tuazon, Director of Good People HR. “In turn, it's a win-win for the company.”
Taking a structured, proactive approach to your team’s development is even more important right now. In tougher business conditions, there are fewer opportunities for vertical career growth. And it matters more to workers. According to SEEK’s Workplace Happiness Index, Australians ranked career progression as more important for workplace happiness in 2025, compared to prior years.
“Career development really matters for people, especially now when they’re looking for hope, meaning and purpose,” says Tuazon. “When you build a skill for yourself, you feel more self-confident and that self-belief that you have just keeps being fostered.”
Here are five ways to support your team’s career growth:
1. Set up regular check-ins
Don’t just bring up career development randomly. Instead, set up a structured approach – this makes it easier to sustain long-term. Tuazon suggests putting time in at least every quarter.
Consider how you can weave conversations into regular catchups so you’re staying on top of progress. Encourage an open dialogue around what interests your employee and their goals.
2. Separate career development from performance management
Remember, career development and performance management are two distinct things. As a manager, you’re there to help with both. Performance management is about the now. It centres on a team member’s current role and responsibilities, including KPIs or objectives, such as sales targets.
Career development is more focused on the future. “It centres on goals: where you want to go in your career and how you're going to get there,” says Lambart. It should be led by the employee’s own interests and passions, not just their day-to-day.
3. Set up a career development plan
A career development plan turns big goals into realistic milestones. As a manager, work with your team member to map out what they want to achieve and how to get there.
It helps to follow this process:
Set career goals – both long- and short-term. This could be in six months, one year and three years. These can be more high-level, such as ‘develop stronger public speaking skills’.
Make them SMART. Turn high-level goals into individual SMART goals. SMART goals are setting goals or targets that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-based. For example: ‘present at a company all-hands meeting by Q4’.
Identify any gaps. What is currently stopping them from achieving that goal? Is it a lack of skills, experience or opportunities?
Map out actions. Plan out specific actions that will help the worker reach the goal, within a timeframe. For example, taking a public speaking course, presenting in smaller team meetings or going to classes, like Toastmasters.
This plan becomes the blueprint for conversations around career growth. Refer to it in regular catchups, check how the employee is progressing and make any changes needed to stay on track.
4. Find opportunities for growth
Managers can unlock new career pathways that a team member couldn’t on their own. “You’re able to open up opportunities, connect people and share resources that improve the chances of achieving those goals,” says Lambart.
Think about what you can do to support this growth. Could it be extra training, external courses or hands-on experience? Could you set up a secondment, mentorship or chance to join a new project? Good career development includes creating new opportunities for team members.
5. Think creatively
Just because you’re tight on budget doesn’t mean there’s no room for upskilling or training. “It just takes thinking outside the box,” says Tuazon. There are plenty of ways for employees to gain experience and new skills that don’t cost a lot, such as job shadowing, mentoring, free online courses or attending industry events.
For example, Tuazon set up a book club for her team where they read books about business fundamentals. Then, they come together and talk about their learnings.
Supporting your team’s professional growth is one of the best investments you can make as a manager. With a career plan in place that includes training and goal setting, team members can grow their skill sets and will feel more purposeful and motivated in their current roles – a win-win for everyone.