Skip to content Not all development feels like growth.
Too often, companies roll out compliance -style learning and call it development. People see
right through it. When development doesn’t connect to real skills, career paths, or personal
goals, it breeds cynicism instead of engagement.
When development feels like little more than a “check -the-box” requirement, people don’t see
growth, they see a dead end.
Compliance training has its place. But when that is the only investment, it is not development,
it is a missed opportunity. True development builds skills that matter today while preparing
people for the roles they want tomorrow.
And here’s the risk: when people don’t see pathways to learn and grow, they stop seeing a future
with the organization at all. Development becomes one of the clearest signals of whether a
company is willing to invest in its people or just go through the motions.
The data is clear. According to SHRM’s 2022 Workplace Learning & Development Trends
report, 76% of people say they’re more likely to stay with a company that offers continuous
training, and nearly half (48%) said learning and development opportunities influenced
their decision to join.
Everyday Moves:
Audit your learning and development offerings. Would you sign up for them voluntarily? If
not, rethink.
Prioritize relevance. Tie development to the skills and experiences people actually need to
succeed in their roles and prepare for the future.
Create choice. Offer flexible learning paths so people can connect their growth to what matters
most to them, including career trajectories outside of management. Not everyone should be a
manager, and offering paths that honor technical expertise or cross -functional gro wth ensures
development feels personal and authentic.
When companies commit to relevant, authentic development, people don’t just gain new
skills . they gain confidence in their future and their future with the company.
Real development helps people grow in ways that matter to them and to the organization.
What is one way you can shift a “check -the-box” requirement into a meaningful
development opportunity this year?
