Knowing how to hold personal development sessions with your team is no longer a ‘nice to have’, it’s essential for any business serious about retention, productivity, and people-first culture.
At striveX®, personal development has been a game changer. We introduced monthly 1:1 development sessions to create a space for honest reflection, professional growth, and wellbeing check-ins. Since then, we’ve seen a measurable impact on employee engagement, Net Promoter Score, internal promotions, and team morale.
Here’s exactly how we do it, and how you can too.
Start after probation and make it optional.
All team members are invited to monthly personal development sessions once they’ve passed probation. For the first six months in role, their priority should be settling in, not setting five-year goals. We offer these sessions as a benefit, not a performance review. They’re optional, protected time for them to reflect, get support, and think long-term.
Use a structured framework
We follow a six-month personal development plan that includes:
- A Wheel of Life exercise to identify areas for improvement inside and outside of work
- Future-focused questions like “What qualities do you want to be known for?”
- Support-focused planning such as “What help do you need from me?” and “Who else should know about your goals?”
Work with Strivex today
We don’t just help you get compliant, we help you get focused. At striveX®, we support business owners to build lean, efficient operations with the right systems in place for profitable growth.
Tie it into your business goals
At striveX®, we believe great employers don’t act like employees. Our managers are trained to think impact-first, not output-first. That means we don’t just ask what someone wants to improve-we ask how it connects to our mission, values, and their career progression. It also feeds directly into our appraisal process (at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months, then every six months), giving us a formal structure to capture informal growth.
Communicate the why
We’re clear that these sessions aren’t “therapy”, they’re protected time, in work hours, for intentional growth. We tell our team, “All successful people schedule time for personal development, so we’re doing it for you.” It sends a strong message about how much we value them.
Track the results
We measure employee engagement using Net Promoter Score software and anonymous feedback. Over time, this has given us data on what’s working, what needs tweaking, and what our team value most. Spoiler: it’s often the intangible stuff—like feeling heard, not being micromanaged, or having a sounding board for personal goals.
Get the toolkit
If you’re serious about building a people-first business, don’t miss our full webinar and toolkit!
This training takes you behind the scenes at striveX®, showing exactly how we’ve embedded personal development into our culture.
