By Meg Moss
Scott Edwards, Founder and CEO of Broader Exposure and I recently chatted about the the consulting business he started after his retirement. Broader Exposure’s home base is in Chatham County, but we’re pleased that he is a member of the Sanford Area Chamber of Commerce, and I enjoyed his perspective on retirement.
“When I retired, I knew that I did not want to just sit around all day and drink coffee and watch television. I have always thought it was a gross waste within our society to take all the experience and knowledge we gain over the years into retirement and leave those behind us to make the same silly mistakes and learn everything through trial and error. Retirees have a social responsibility to share their knowledge to support, assist, and accelerate the group of individuals coming up behind us. In asking myself “how can this be done effectively” I came up with a structured program” to address Associate Growth and Development.
According to Edwards’ monthly newsletter, “Associate Growth and Development is a long term, formally documented process that is focused on taking an individual associate from their present skill set and knowledge base to a deeper and broader skill set and knowledge base with the purpose of bringing additional value to the organization that employs them.” Growth and development is a comprehensive approach and includes a greater time commitment than an individual training class.
Associate Growth and Development is a process that “requires careful consideration and planning which begins with an assessment of the present skill-set of the associate and develops a pathway to where we want the associate to be in the future. At this point we must change our mind-set from an expense of time and financial resources to an investment in human capital, which demands a return on the investment. When this shift in mid-set takes place the entire view of the process changes.”
Why is it important to grow and develop the talent in our organizations? It boosts employee engagement and morale, increases employee performance, and improves employee retention rates. Talent development is a necessary component of ensuring your workforce possesses the skills and knowledge required for future growth. Helping employees learn and grow requires a combination of targeted training and support from leaders to help employees achieve their aspirations and perform to their potential.
Edwards closed our conversation by telling me that creating this program for businesses and organizations “has been an interesting journey, but a journey that has allowed me to continue to grow as an individual and share with others creating value along the way.” If your organization is interested in learning more about Broader Exposure, Edwards can be reached at scott.edwards@broaderexposure.com.