Bringing energy to the topic of development
When it comes to thinking of your development, it can be daunting. We’re often so focused on the here and now, and our attention is rightfully on the job we’re doing today.
We have deadlines, projects, and stakeholders that we are managing each day. On top of that, we have lives to lead, families to look after, exercise, and social life – the list goes on.
But, it’s important to remember to come up for air and think about your future and where you want your career to take you.
At Fonterra, a big part of our future strategy will require us to have a workforce that is continually developing. We operate in a complex, interdependent industry, which requires us to continually grow our skills.
This means that all our people must think about their development and growth.
People power our business, and we know that a focus on creating high development cultures, where people can develop their strengths and purpose, makes people feel more engaged and more fulfilled at work.
However, we know that most people don’t know how to put together a good development plan, they shy away from it, or don’t see it as a priority.
That’s why we’re kicking off our very first U-Week – a week dedicated to bringing energy to the topic of development, and just one of several things we will do to build knowledge and inspiration, and de-mystify the topic of development plans.
Our head of Diversity and Inclusion, Suzie Grey, says people often learn best through hearing real stories of other people’s experiences, rather than listening to theory.
“We know that we have a lot of people in our business who have great experiences that they can share. So, we want to leverage those stories.
It’s a great opportunity for people to come together, share their own knowledge and experience, and hopefully others walk away feeling inspired about their future.
“We have some great speakers lined up from right across our business, who are keen to get involved and help others with their own development.
“We are holding a number of sessions throughout the week, which will cover off things like career mapping, maximising mentors, leveraging LinkedIn, right through to early career advice.
“It’s a great opportunity for people to come together, share their own knowledge and experience, and hopefully others walk away feeling inspired about their future,” says Suzie.