How to Support Your Employees in Their Career Advancement

People build a company’s success, and if they’re not motivated, they won’t take you far. Want to know how to keep your team pushing forward?

By Joseph Burns, Founder and CEO of Lupa

As leaders, our job isn’t just to guide the company toward its goals. We also need to ensure our team—the people working with us every day—are experiencing employee growth and advancing in their careers. I recently talked with Maria Paula, our new COO at Lupa, about what leaders can do to support career advancement within their teams. In this blog, I’ll share some of the ideas we discussed—strategies that have helped us build a strong and resilient team in Latin America.

How to Support Your Team's Career Goals

1. Get to know their goals before they come on board

Supporting your team's career growth starts before they even join your team. In the interview process, it's crucial to have honest conversations about their career goals. I always ask, “What are your goals? What are you looking for? What's important to you?” It might sound basic, but it's incredibly important. If you can align the company's needs with their personal goals from day one, you're setting both parties up for success.

Honestly, I didn't always do this as well as I should have. But when I interviewed Mapis—our COO—I made it a point to dig deep into what she wanted out of her career. And that changed everything. If someone tells you, “I just want to work for a year and then retire,” and that doesn't align with what you need, it's better to know upfront.

2. Encourage them to document and have clear goals—either in their careers or inside your company

Once you've had that conversation, the next step is making sure employees write down their goals. Most people get so caught up in their day-to-day work that they don't stop to think about what they want in their careers. 

Encouraging them to set clear objectives and document them helps bring clarity and gives them a sense of direction. Moreover, written goals not only give them something concrete to aim for but also provide you with a clear path to support their progress.

3. Develop learning and development objectives around those goals

One of the best ways to help your employees put their goals into action is to tie those goals to learning and development opportunities. This might mean specific training in areas they want to grow, mentoring, or getting them involved in projects that align with their objectives for development and learning. 

By providing a clear path for growth, you're helping them develop in a way that's meaningful to them and beneficial to the company. Remember, it's a two-way street—when they grow, the company grows too.

4. Align opportunities with strengths

With the goals set, take a look at the opportunities within the company and find where you can create overlap between what they want in their roles and what you need. It won't always be a perfect match, but aiming for this alignment can make a big difference in their work experience.

Let me give you a real-life example: We had a recruiter who wasn't fully satisfied with his role. He was creative, very good at writing, and excellent at teaching people, but these skills weren't being fully exploited. So, we put him to the test by involving him in a big project where he could fully apply his abilities. He thrived. It's all about finding that balance where their talents align with the company's needs.

Essential Leadership Skills to Help Your Team Grow

1. Emotional Intelligence

If there's one thing every leader needs, it's emotional intelligence. It's about understanding what your team is feeling and thinking and using that insight to lead effectively. At the same time, you need to keep your own emotions in check—don't let them cloud your judgment. When you stay calm and composed, especially in challenging situations, your team will trust you more and feel supported.

2. Build bonds and foster trust

Now, this doesn't mean you need to be best friends with everyone on your team. But you do need to show that you care. When people feel valued, they're more likely to open up and come to you with their challenges. This trust builds respect, which is key to a strong team dynamic.

3. Effective communication

Good communication is non-negotiable. As a leader, it's your job to make sure everyone is on the same page. This means adjusting how you communicate depending on who you're talking to. Whether it's a data scientist or an HR professional, you need to tailor your message so they get the information they need.

4. Adaptability

Just as your team members require different ways of communicating with them, they also need different leadership styles. For example, Mapis once had three different country managers, all with the same role but very different personalities and working styles. She had to adapt her leadership approach to each one, finding what worked best for each individual. Flexibility in how you lead—adapting to both the person and the situation—is what helps everyone perform at their best.

5. Lead by example

At the end of the day, leadership is about walking the talk. If you want your team to be transparent, be transparent with them. If you expect respect, show them respect. It's a simple principle, but it's incredibly powerful.

The Importance of Mentorship

Guide, don't do

Mentorship is about guiding your team, not doing the work for them. One of the biggest mistakes leaders make is stepping in and solving problems instead of helping their team members figure it out. At Lupa, I always try to focus on providing frameworks and stories that help people connect the dots themselves. This way, they learn to solve problems independently, which is far more valuable in the long run.

Be honest and direct

Good mentorship also requires honesty. The best mentor-mentee relationships are built on trust, where both parties can give and receive constructive feedback. As a mentor, you should also be open to learning from your mentees—mentorship is a two-way street.

Stay approachable

Finally, you need to be approachable. Your team should never feel afraid to ask you questions or seek advice. If they do, you're not being the mentor they need. The best leaders make themselves available and create a safe space for growth and learning.

Putting It All Together

Helping your team grow in their careers is one of the most rewarding parts of being a leader. At Lupa, we've made it a priority to align personal goals with company needs, foster empathy, and provide clear paths for career advancement through a solid employee growth plan. 

This approach has been key to building strong, effective teams across Latin America. Bringing Mapis on board as our COO was a big move in reinforcing this culture. She's completely in sync with our vision of creating an environment where everyone can thrive.

If you want to know more about how we're doing this at Lupa or just want to chat about leadership, feel free to reach out. I'm always up for a conversation.