The Leader Lab

15People Development

Based on a global study of nearly three million employees across 54 industries, two of the best predictors of employee engagement are positive responses to the following (Harter et al. 2020):

• “There is someone at work who encourages my development.”
• “In the past year, I have had opportunities at work to learn and grow.”

Pause and consider: how do you think each person on your team would respond? How about it when it comes to their perception of the future? How satisfied are they with their future career growth opportunities at your company? In another large-scale global study, 70% of employees reported being dissatisfied with their opportunities for career advancement. But here's the fascinating paradox: the same study found that 75% of executives surveyed expected to face a shortage of skills and knowledge among their employees (CEB 2015). To summarize:

• A sense of development is essential to engagement (and thus productivity and retention).
• Employees believe there aren't enough opportunities to grow.
• Employers believe that employees aren't growing fast enough!

Within this gap is a bright and shining leadership opportunity just waiting to emerge. But most employees and managers aren't sure where to begin. After all, career paths are becoming increasingly curvy and nonlinear, looking less like ladders and more like rock climbing walls. It's rare (if not ...