How to Improve Employee Development Practices

If you want to boost your team’s growth, start by investing in your managers. Gallup’s recent article “Addressing the Barriers Blocking Employee Development” reveals a striking reality: in 2024, less than half of U.S. employees participated in any training for their current role. And the reasons? It comes down to leadership gaps and organizational constraints. Here’s what’s really eye-opening: Managers are often the barriers to learning—not the enablers. Only 44% of managers worldwide receive any formal leadership or management training—and those who don’t are more likely to be disengaged. When managers don’t support their team’s development, it’s the strongest predictor of turnover intent. On the other hand, managers who receive quality development are less likely to disengage and are more effective coaches and leaders. When they model learning, their team members are far more likely to grow too. This is exactly why I’ve dedicated my life’s work to supporting managers. Because when managers are equipped to lead with clarity, confidence, and compassion, everything changes—for them and for their teams. Helping managers become great leaders isn’t a “nice to have.” It’s a strategic lever for performance, retention, and culture. When managers are empowered to coach, communicate, and create space for growth, organizations don’t just function—they flourish. Here's what you can do: - Offer and take advantage of opportunities formal leadership training, coaching or certification. - Provide or ask for access to external courses, mentorship, or stretch projects. - Carve out time within work hours for real development. Make learning part of the job, not an extra. - Set clear expectations and goals for development, coaching & feedback rhythms. How are you investing in your managers or team members right now—and what could learning look like for your team if you truly made it a priority? #LeadershipDevelopment #ManagerTraining #EmployeeGrowth #TalentRetention #GallupInsights #PeopleFirstCompanies

10 Things I’ve Learned from Building Everboarding Programs (the Hard Way) Over the past few years, I’ve helped companies shift from traditional onboarding to something more sustainable and strategic: Everboarding. What started as a way to fix retention gaps became a full-blown movement. And along the way, I’ve learned some lessons… many of them by failing and recovering. Here are 10 things that stick: 1. Onboarding ends. Development shouldn’t. Stop building 30-day checklists and start building career momentum. 2. Managers will make or break it. If they’re not involved, don’t expect the program to stick. 3. Content isn’t king. Context is. Employees want to know why something matters, not just what it is. 4. Most “readiness” programs are really just information dumps. And that’s why they fail. 5. Retention isn’t about perks. It’s about helping people grow where they are. 6. Your LMS is probably not your solution. Tech supports Everboarding, but it doesn’t drive it. 7. Don’t forget about tenured employees. If you only focus on new hires, you’ll lose your vets. 8. Milestones > Modules. Progress should feel like something, not just another course to check off. 9. Everboarding isn’t a program. It’s a culture shift. And culture change takes time, not just training. 10. You’ll need buy-in at every level. From leadership to frontline managers. Otherwise, it’s just a PowerPoint deck with a cool name. I’m writing a book on this (launching September!), but if you’re in the middle of rethinking your onboarding or development strategy, I’ve got playbooks, roadmaps, and battle scars I’m happy to share. Let’s build something that makes employees want to stick around. #everboarding #learninganddevelopment #talentdevelopment #employeeexperience #enablement #leadershipdevelopment #retention #onboarding

If your one-on-ones are primarily status updates, you're missing a massive opportunity to build trust, develop talent, and drive real results. After working with countless leadership teams across industries, I've found that the most effective managers approach 1:1s with a fundamentally different mindset... They see these meetings as investments in people, not project tracking sessions. Great 1:1s focus on these three elements: 1. Support: Create space for authentic conversations about challenges, both professional and personal. When people feel safe discussing real obstacles, you can actually help remove them. Questions to try: "What's currently making your job harder than it needs to be?" "Where could you use more support from me?" 2. Growth: Use 1:1s to understand aspirations and build development paths. People who see a future with your team invest more deeply in the present. Questions to explore: "What skills would you like to develop in the next six months?" "What parts of your role energize you most?" 3. Alignment: Help team members connect their daily work to larger purpose and meaning. People work harder when they understand the "why" behind tasks. Questions that create alignment: "How clear is the connection between your work and our team's priorities?" "What part of our mission resonates most with you personally?" By focusing less on immediate work outputs and more on the human doing the work, you'll actually see better performance, retention, and results. Check out my newsletter for more insights here: https://lnkd.in/ei_uQjju #executiverecruiter #eliterecruiter #jobmarket2025 #profoliosai #resume #jobstrategy #leadershipdevelopment #teammanagement