Don't Miss the 'Growth Spurt' of Your Staff: Individual Growth Phases and Passing the Baton to the Right Person

Hello everyone. I am Dr. J.
I usually work in the extreme environment of a university hospital ICU, where I think about the nature of organizations and people every day while keeping my eyes on the 'life' that exists beyond saving lives.

Because the ICU requires highly advanced knowledge and skills, it inevitably takes time to train young staff. It is natural for senior staff who are teaching to feel impatient, wanting them to become fully capable as soon as possible.

However, the 'growth speed' of people does not always follow the same upward linear trajectory for everyone.

This time, through the episode of a certain group of young nurses who are peers that I am currently working with on the front lines, I would like to write about management that aligns with the 'growth phase' of staff and the true meaning of 'delegating' work.

The 'Growth Spurt' of those whose initial growth was slow

Right now, a certain generation of young nurses has all entered a 'growth spurt' phase that is truly remarkable.

In fact, when they first joined, they were not the type of people who could handle everything efficiently from the start. Their initial growth speed was rather slow, and there were times when they felt impatient; at first glance, I was even worried that they might 'burn out'.

However, they endured the harsh ICU environment without a single person dropping out, sometimes complaining to each other and supporting one another as peers. I believe this was a testament to their inner strength and the safety net (psychological safety) of being peers.

And now, they are able to properly care for critically ill patients, and their motivation to learn for themselves has come to the forefront. They have suddenly entered a 'growth phase where they are easy to absorb information'.

'Who should be on which bus?' 1-on-1s to find the right person for the right job

I conducted 1-on-1 (individual interviews) one after another to see if I could entrust these growing staff members with projects that were a bit of a stretch for them.

For example, a staff member once told me, 'There is someone I want to recommend as a member,' for the simulation education team I am involved with.
She was indeed in a growth spurt, motivated, and would have been a very valuable asset if she could join the simulation team.

However, when I did a 1-on-1 and carefully drew out her 'ideal self,' I realized that the vector of the future she wanted to pursue was in a slightly different direction from being a simulation education facilitator.
Judging that 'this role is not what will best bring out her motivation,' I intentionally did not invite her to be a simulation member and instead presented several routes where she could grow along the vector she originally wanted to follow.

On the other hand, another staff member had a hidden, passionate desire, saying, 'I wanted to work in the ICU because I admired the seniors who were actively saving patients who had suddenly changed or were brought in by emergency transport.' However, she lacked confidence in herself, and even in simulation training, she would often panic and become unable to move due to nervousness.

Recently, she has finally started to be able to care for critically ill patients little by little, and she confided in me, 'I've started to understand a little, so I want to study, but I don't know what or how to study...'

To her, who was enthusiastic but lacked confidence, I suddenly thought it might be good for her to become a member on the 'facilitator side (management/instruction side)' of the simulation, and I suggested it. I had an intuition that if she could gain the leeway to look at the scene from a bird's-eye view, she would develop a sense of grasping the big picture without panicking.

'Oh, that might be better,' she said, looking as if she had understood, her expression brightening up as if the space in front of her had cleared.

As for the future outlook, it seems that I will be connecting with all of those growing peers on some other project.
Moreover, one of them is already starting to advance a project in a way that is close to self-propulsion, and she has reached a reliable point where she is involving all her peers in her own project and developing it.

I am truly glad that I did not give everyone the same 'correct answer' at that time.

The Pitfall of 'Waiting Until They Can Do It Before Assigning Tasks'

Seeing the remarkable growth of our young staff members this time, I was reminded of a strong management lesson. It is that there are significant individual differences in the timing of when one enters a growth phase where they are ready to absorb new skills.

And there is another structure that must never be forgotten.
It is that if you adopt the attitude of 'I won't assign this because they aren't ready yet,' that staff member's 'growth phase' will never arrive.

Of course, from the perspective of medical safety, we must strictly defend the 'line that must never be crossed.' However, as long as that line is maintained, we should intentionally assign tasks in the 'stretch zone' that lies just outside the individual's 'comfort zone.'

That is exactly what flips their switch and becomes the greatest trigger to suddenly skyrocket a growth curve that had been smoldering.

Being Sensitive to Staff 'Phases'

We intensive care physicians are extremely sensitive to changes in the 'treatment phase' as a patient's condition worsens or improves.

Management is exactly the same.
Leaders and seniors must be sensitive not only to whether a staff member is technically skilled or not, but also to 'which growth phase' that staff member is currently in.

Even if they start slowly, if they continue without giving up while supporting each other, a 'growth spurt' period will surely come. Do not miss the timing when that opportunity ripens; use 1-on-1 meetings to scoop up their true thoughts and pass the 'baton' to the outside of their comfort zone.

Watching our young staff members start to work lively and independently on different projects while leveraging the strong bonds of their peers, I feel that I, too, am being taught a lot as a mentor every day.

Are there any staff members in your team right now who are showing signs of being 'on the rise'?

Dr. J
Intensive Care Physician
With an eye on the 'life' that exists beyond saving a patient, I continue to share thoughts on how organizations and people should be, from the extreme environment of the ICU.
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*To protect privacy, some information from actual cases has been abstracted.