Training Industry Magazine - Spring 2022 - 63

JULIE WINKLE GIULIONI
CAREER
DEVELOPMENT
RECLAIMING DEVELOPMENT
It's clear that employees want
opportunities to grow. What's less clear,
however, is what exactly employees
mean when they reference a lack of
opportunity as a reason for resigning.
After all, many organizations invest
heavily in developing career pathways,
transparent platforms and internal
marketplaces. And yet, might these very
systems be part of the problem? Have
our efforts to enable development
actually masked the genuine prospects
for growth that are always available?
Are we conflating advancement with
development - and in the process
generating employee confusion and
dissatisfaction?
Many of the employees who are
considering leaving a position because
of its lack of development offer some
interesting answers to these questions.
They talk about how long it's been since
their last promotion, how many open
positions are going unfilled or are being
eliminated, the stiffer competition for
open slots in an " all-virtual " organization,
or a lack of mobility. Comments like these
suggest that many employees believe
that if they're not moving, changing
positions or being promoted, they aren't
being developed. They are defining the
phrase, " opportunities for development, "
in very literal terms as advancement.
This narrow definition presents an
obvious problem. It's impossible to
satisfy everyone who wants to grow
if a promotion (or even role change) is
the exclusive definition of development.
Engagement and retention today
demand updating the equation and
changing the calculus of employee
expectations. Success requires a shift
of focus from advancement (an external
experience that we have little control
over) to development (an internal
experience that individuals own).
The good news is that development is
available every day in countless ways to
those who are willing to shift their focus.
Look around your organization and you'll
be overwhelmed with opportunities
to learn, grow and develop: managers
offering coaching, peers sharing
feedback, networking events.
DEVELOPMENT IS
AVAILABLE EVERY DAY IN
COUNTLESS WAYS.
But opportunities like these are quieter
and less shiny than a splashy promotion or
move - so they're frequently overlooked
for what they are: rich, robust development.
How can we reclaim development and
refine people's definition and expectations
beyond advancement to include all that
is already available almost anytime and
anywhere? It boils down to two priorities:
label it and enable it.
LABEL IT
L&D, as well as leaders and executives
at all levels, must raise awareness of the
ubiquitous and unnoticed development
opportunities that already exist within
the organization. Make sure that the
word " development " is among the most
frequently used within an organization.
It's the perfect descriptor for so many
activities: Say things like " development
coaching " or " development feedback, "
TRAINING INDUSTRY MAGAZINE - SPRING 2022 I WWW.TRAININGINDUSTRY.COM/MAGAZINE
instead of simply " coaching " or
" feedback. " It's necessary to ensure
that employees recognize the growth
opportunities that abound.
ENABLE IT
Make sure that leaders and managers
are
prepared
to
double down on
development. Help them understand the
importance of emphasizing the growthrelated
intentions behind so many of
their interactions with others. Make sure
that they're helping their employees
establish development goals that go
beyond the desire for advancement.
Ensure that " development " appears
on every one-on-one agenda. Check
that organic learning and growth is
celebrated as much as - or more than
- advancement.
The loss of talent is troubling at any
time. But especially now, organizations
must do whatever it takes to retain
their workforce. Some reasons for
attrition may be outside of your control.
However, the frequently cited " lack
of development opportunities " is not.
Despite the reality that advancement
might be limited, your organization is
offering rich prospects for growth, dayin
and day-out. Let's reframe growth.
Let's help employees recognize
and
appreciate
that development
opportunities are available to them.
And let's usher in a new era: The Great
Reclaiming of Development.
Julie Winkle Giulioni is the author of the
bestselling books, " Promotions Are So
Yesterday " and " Help Them Grow or
Watch Them Go. " Email Julie.
| 63

https://trainingindustry.com/wiki/performance-management/career-pathing/ https://trainingindustry.com/glossary/coaching/ https://trainingindustry.com/articles/strategy-alignment-and-planning/education-as-an-employee-benefit-the-antidote-to-the-great-resignation/ https://trainingindustry.com/articles/strategy-alignment-and-planning/education-as-an-employee-benefit-the-antidote-to-the-great-resignation/ https://www.trainingindustry.com/magazine

Training Industry Magazine - Spring 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Training Industry Magazine - Spring 2022