ABSTRACT
People development means providing the resources and climate to allow people to speed up and improve their individual development. The prime responsibility for development rests on the shoulders of the individual, not the manager. Some people will develop rapidly regardless of their manager. However, everyone develops faster and better when the manager makes people development a fundamental priority. Establishing the correct environment for the people is essential to their development. Too many people in a department stifles individual growth. In a very broad sense, one can place people in three categories: exceptional, good, or below average (mediocre for the bottom performers). It is the exceptional performer that makes the department exceptional. Many managers have their priorities upside down. The top performer is the one who is going to have the most impact on the company. Also important is the task of revitalizing weak performers. In addition, most exceptional performers thrive on challenge and self improvement.
