Why Professional Development Is Not A Reward
There is a dangerous track of thinking within some businesses around professional development being a work benefit; a perk that employees must earn via successful reviews and hitting KPIs.
This quid pro quo approach doesn’t just undermine the essence of learning and development, it also holds companies back, impacts staff retention and can affect morale, good culture and many other metrics that lead to growth.
The internet is dripping in studies that state quite clearly these simple facts: employees who receive regular opportunities for professional development are more engaged in their work, have higher levels of confidence and productivity, are creativity and strategics more impactful, have higher levels of EQ and become part of successful teams that drive profitability. They are also more engaged and loyal, resulting in lower levels of employee attrition, a recognised drain on resources.
It is a shrewd business move, when you boil down L&D impacts to the hard, cold numbers. But, looking solely through a financial lens, again compromises the nuanced, multifaceted, often intangible influences that investing in your staff ignites and creates.
People are often a company’s most valuable and expensive asset. Protecting this talent goes further than cold hard numbers. Look through staff members’ individual eyes and ongoing training is viewed as recognition, acknowledgement, safety, respect and support.
To lean on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy terminology, when companies invest in their employees, they kick start a positive belief cycle that continues to spin in the right direction. Each staff member believes they are worthy because someone more senior is taking the time and money to help them evolve. Believing you are worthy (building strong, positive beliefs) tends to lead to positive thoughts: ‘I am able’, ‘I am valued’, ‘I can take that project on, despite it being way out of my comfort zone.’
And positive thoughts, in turn, lead to positive actions: working on big new projects, having curious conversations, displaying broad, self-assured body language. When your talent is thinking and acting with assurance and a sense of possibilities, the perception of others with whom they are in contact alters too. They view this person with greater esteem, they are likely in turn to offer them even bigger projects, the cycle of growth does not just exist in isolation. When you invest in one person, you invest in some way or other, in many of the people that one staff member comes into regular contact with.
Imagine what happens when you invest regularly, with strategic thought, in larger numbers of those who you employ. In short, the positive impacts multiply. People’s motivation swells, there is a growing sense that the company understands us, trusts us, wants us to stay. It is a reverberating echo of positive change.
Of course, this is a simplistic view of a complex and likely, ever changing landscape of employee professional development. The facts though, remain the same: investing in your staff is a fuel that companies need to thrive.
But there are pitfalls, just as there are upsides.
For ease, here are 10 Career Development Danger Zones that employers need to be aware of. When people are your greatest assets, there are always degrees of resonances because all people are different, especially when you consider situational and societal influences.
Alice Olins’ 10 Career Development Danger Zone
A Lack Of Clear Goals: When companies fail to define clear goals and create a robust strategy around their development aspirations it compromises effectiveness due to haphazard or ineffective training.
Not Aligning With Organisational Objectives: Goals are one thing, the company’s broader strategic goals are another: when there’s a disconnect between individual development and company objectives it wastes resources and creates internal confusion, eroding trust.
One Size Fits All: Treating all employees the same way (and offering the same training) can be a mistake. Your staff will have different learning styles, be at different points in their careers, be managing different pressures and carrying different aspirations. Customisation is key.
No Accountability Or Measurement: Tracking progress is key to securing lasting positive outcomes, but also to give scope for evolutions and shifts. Also data can drive motivation and commitment at all levels for continued investment.
Infrequency Or Irregular Training: Professional development is an ongoing process; continuity is key to build consistent new habits and drive change. Irregularities can lead to a lack of engagement, scepticism and skills gaps/outdated knowledge.
Focusing Solely on Technical Skills: Neglecting the development of soft skills, such as communication, leadership, and emotional intelligence, will limit growth and effectiveness.
Inadequate Support Systems: Lack of mentoring, coaching, or support structures can limit the application of newly acquired skills and knowledge in the workplace.
Not Addressing Diversity and Inclusion: Failing to create inclusive professional development opportunities can hinder diversity and perpetuate bias within the organisation.
Ignoring Changing Industry Trends: Failing to adapt professional development programs to keep pace with evolving industry trends and technologies can render investment and learning obsolete.
Overlooking Employee Input And Feedback: Failing to involve employees in the planning and review of development investment increases the risk of disengagement and resistance, as well as missed opportunities for improvement.
In summary, good career development is worth far more than the sum of its parts. When delivered with thought and awareness of aspirations, individual talent and strategic trajectories, it builds resilience, adaptability, creativity, confidence, motivation and accomplishments both within each individual and the organisation as a whole.
*Gallup, CPD, Harvard
Authors
Alice Olins, Founder of Step Up Club
A women's career expert, coach and public speaker, Alice brings a unique lens to professional development. Her deep knowledge in, and passion for women and careers, as well as her ability to create other women feel safe, means she builds trust for change quickly. Alice is also a journalist, writing for titles including The Times, Marie Claire, and Red Magazine; she is the author of the best-selling careers manual, Step Up: Confidence, Success And Your Stellar Career In 10 Minutes A Day. Alice has 3 children.
Alice is the founder of the Step Up Club, a women’s professional development business built on the values of courageousness, community and continuous learning. The Step Up Club designs and delivers bespoke corporate training workshops to develop female talent and move towards gender equity. Get in touch with Alice to find out more.
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