Stretch assignments are well understood to enhance individuals’ skills and experience. But how is it done right — without the career version of a pulled muscle?
The vice president of life sciences at Iterative Health, Laura Mantell, shared her methods and techniques for doing this safely and effectively. It starts with training the individual to give them technical proficiency as well as to give them self-confidence. She also advises assigning the employee a project area and client with whom that person is familiar.
Provide close supervision and plenty of support at the beginning of the stretch assignment, tapering back as the trainee scores more points in the win column, said Mantell. And always offer support, even in the latter stages.
Built In Boston spoke with Mantell to discover how Iterative Health is able to attract some of the best talent because of this culture and approach to growing its people.
Iterative Health uses AI to transform gastroenterology treatment and improve patient outcomes.
Please share an example of when you extended a stretch assignment to a direct report. What was the assignment, and how did you know the individual was ready to take it on?
Recently, a member of my team had an opportunity to take on more of an active role in managing an important client relationship, which was a critical relationship for the business. This team member had spent several months getting to know more junior members of the client company and established a strong rapport with them, making him a trusted partner. The team member's diligence, thoughtfulness and high-quality work product clearly demonstrated that he was ready for more of a challenge. He met it head on, becoming a well-regarded partner across the client's organization, which led to continued success and growth today.
It was important to me that my teammate felt set up to succeed and grow individually.”
How do you ensure that team members are not overburdened by stretch assignments and are supported throughout its completion?
In the previous example, it was important to me that my teammate felt supported throughout this stretch opportunity and that he was set up to succeed and grow individually. As a result, I worked closely with him — giving him space to run and manage the client with increasing independence and space while also providing feedback, answering questions, reviewing materials, etc. In this way, my team member was positioned to grow as a result of this opportunity, while also being able to learn from the team and those around them in the process.
How can managers make sure that they take a thoughtful approach to stretch assignments so that they lead to growth — and not stress — for their assignees?
In my experience, the best way for managers to stretch their employees without causing undue stress is to spend and invest significant time and training upfront, ensuring and building confidence that the team member can continue to grow with increasing independence. When done well I've seen team members be able to grow faster and with more autonomy as they feel well prepped and trusted by their team.
I also believe that building trust is critical to this process. There needs to be a strong level of trust between manager and teammate so that the teammate feels that the manager has their back. Also, the manager knows the teammate can handle opportunities independently and doesn't feel the need to micromanage.
