On-the-job development
People mainly learn and develop through experiencing new things, not through education or training. Developing and learning means being open to new things and reflects the actual situation on the ground.
90 percent of development happens on the job, such as by:
- taking responsibility
- working on and leading projects
- giving or listening to presentations
- collaborating with people from different teams
When talking with your supervisor, you should make sure that enough time is available to explore some new and challenging areas of work alongside your existing tasks. Suggestions for structuring on-the-job learning in a focused way include:
The aim is to share knowledge and promote organisational learning. This can be some brief input on a certain topic, such as from an employee who has completed external training or learnt something specific through their experience. It can be integrated into your working day (e.g. in a team meeting) or be done over lunch.
Tips
- Any member of a team can initiate a Lunch & Learn.
- Produce a list of dates with some of the topics already specified
- on which colleagues can sign up and/or
- suggest topics of their own.
- Ideally, supervisors will take the lead on the “brief input” sessions to ensure that the measure works in the medium to long term.
The aim is to exchange opinions with an expert at ETH Zurich and come up with new ideas together.
Tips
- Discuss your desire for an exchange with your supervisor as part of your individual development plan or appraisal interview.
- Your supervisor will ask the expert whether they would be willing to take part.
- If they are, get an idea of the expert’s field of work before embarking on the exchange.
- Compile a list of questions to send to the expert in advance.
The aim is to promote continued development in your existing role, e.g. by enhancing leadership skills, learning to give presentations with confidence or working on how you come across to other people.
Tips
- As part of your individual development plan or appraisal interview, talk to your supervisor about which of your skills needs to be developed and improved.
- Find specific opportunities to practise, e.g. chair a meeting or make a brief presentation at a team meeting.
- Set yourself suitable exercises and verify your progress regularly.
The aim is to foster networking and a better understanding of your colleagues and what their work is like.
Tips
- Once the relevant supervisors have agreed, you can suggest an exchange to someone. This can be a person:
- who you come across occasionally in the course of your work, or
- who does a similar job to you but in a different organisational unit, or
- who has extensive experience in a certain area and whom you would like to accompany to a project meeting and observe leading the meeting, for example.
- Establish a framework (time, tasks) for the shadowing.
- Exchange thoughts with the person you observed (your shadowing partner).
- Feed back to your supervisor on your experience and the insights you gained.