Cathy Liska 
Diving into the critical role of employee development, we’ve gathered insights from eleven industry experts, including managing directors and CEOs. They discuss reasons ranging from future-proofing your business to enhancing job satisfaction and engagement, providing a comprehensive look at why investing in your team’s growth is essential.
- Future-Proof Your Business
- Stay Abreast of Tech Advances
- Boost Team Longevity
- Increase Retention Through Growth
- Uncover Hidden Talents
- Foster Innovation and Creativity
- Develop Effective Managers
- Create In-House Intrapreneurs
- Build Client Value and Success
- Strengthen Internal Talent Pipeline
- Enhance Job Satisfaction and Engagement
Future-Proof Your Business
Investing in employee development is like future-proofing your business. As industries evolve, new skills and knowledge become essential. By supporting your team’s professional growth, you’re ensuring that your business can adapt to these changes. This approach has allowed us to stay ahead of trends, consistently offering cutting-edge solutions to our clients. Moreover, employees who are continuously learning tend to be more engaged, reducing turnover and creating a stable, committed workforce.
Shane McEvoy, MD, Flycast Media
Stay Abreast of Tech Advances
As the head of a recruiting firm, I’ve witnessed firsthand how prioritizing employee development helps a business keep pace with technological advances in its industry. I believe investing in our team has not just been beneficial but essential in our constantly evolving field.
For instance, after we offered workshops on using AI tools for candidate sourcing and screening, our efficiency increased significantly, allowing our recruiters to identify the best candidates faster than ever. We’ve partnered with industry-leading organizations to provide our staff with access to online courses on data analytics and emerging HR tech trends as well. Being data-driven has enabled us to fine-tune our recruitment strategies and present more accurate reports to our clients, showcasing our commitment to transparency and eliminating guesswork in our hiring processes.
We’ve also held digital marketing training sessions on employer branding and candidate engagement strategies through social media, enabling our recruiters to create compelling content that resonates with potential candidates and helping us stand out in a crowded market.
Another key aspect of our employee development strategy is our mentorship program, where our experienced recruiters share insights on navigating technological changes with newer team members, facilitating skill transfer and ensuring our collective knowledge grows as new advancements emerge. I believe investing in employee development this way has reinforced our position as a leading recruiting firm in a rapidly changing landscape.
Joe Coletta, Founder & CEO, 180 Engineering
Boost Team Longevity
One of the best reasons I can think of to invest in your employees’ development is that you’ll likely keep them on your team longer. Working for a global recruitment firm gives me access to first-hand information from job seekers on why they’re looking for a new role. A lack of advancement or development opportunities is one of the most often cited reasons for seeking a new job.
The worst part of this is—if you’re not investing in employee development, the team members you’re most likely to lose are the same ones you most want to keep on your team. Those will be the ones who are invested in their career progress, eager to learn and grow, and willing to put in the work to continuously build their skills and improve.
If you want to build a high-performing team, and keep it together long-term, investing in employee development is one of the best ways to accomplish this.
Rob Boyle, Marketing Operations Director, Airswift
Increase Retention Through Growth
Enhanced retention rates are a by-product of investment in employee development; as a recruiter, I see this effect firsthand. Companies sometimes assume that upskilling or training an employee will causes them to move on in short order, but that’s not the case.
It’s far more common to see workers move on because they feel their role has turned stagnant and boring. People like challenges, and they like to pursue personal and professional growth. If you don’t give them that option at your company, they’ll look for it somewhere else.
One caveat: internal advancement possibilities should be attached to any development initiative. If you are upskilling your workforce, they will (and should) expect new opportunities within the company.
Rob Reeves, CEO and President, Redfish Technology
Uncover Hidden Talents
Honestly, maybe the biggest benefit to investing in employee development is that if you let people explore new things, you might find a talent or interest they never would have revealed otherwise. Provide people with opportunities to learn new things, and you might end up giving them a window into new parts of their own field or another field altogether, where they discover a strength, they hadn’t even realized they had, and that can benefit the company in ways they never would have thought.
For instance, someone in an administrative position might discover they have a knack for data analysis after having the opportunity to take a course that opened their eyes to an entirely new realm, they never thought they’d be interested in.
I’ve witnessed this myself as we started cross-training team members. One of our customer service reps completed one of our design courses and ended up having quite a knack for visual branding, enlarging her role and broadening the approaches we can pursue in our marketing.
Rather than perpetuating the “job” metaphor in firms, when you develop employees in multiple directions, you cultivate a more adaptable and robust workforce, and people contribute beyond the roles they were initially hired to play. It’s good for employees, and it’s good for the company: personal growth leads to better adaptations.
Alex LaDouceur, Co-Founder, Webineering
Foster Innovation and Creativity
Investing in employee development is crucial for fostering innovation within your organization. When we implemented a structured learning program, encouraging employees to explore new skills and technologies, we saw a dramatic shift in our company’s creative output.
Team members started proposing novel solutions to longstanding challenges, drawing insights from their newly acquired knowledge. This led to the development of a game-changing product feature that boosted our market share by 15%.
Beyond the tangible results, we noticed increased employee engagement and retention. People felt valued and excited about their growth, creating a culture of continuous improvement that keeps us ahead in our fast-paced industry.
Yoyao Hsueh, Founder, Blustrat Agency
Develop Effective Managers
Investing in employee development is important because it helps build and support new managers. Effective management is key to employee engagement. The saying “people don’t leave jobs; they leave managers” highlights this well. A strong relationship between employees and their managers can greatly impact team success.
Managers need to communicate clearly to align with business goals. Poor communication can cause confusion, missed opportunities, and frustration among team members. Many employees feel their roles and responsibilities are not well-defined by their managers.
By investing in your managers, you offer them valuable leadership skills and insights from experienced coaches. This helps them address issues, communicate effectively, and create a culture of trust. Passionate managers set a positive example. Research shows that 75% of employees view a great manager as someone who loves their job. Developing your managers can build and sustain that passion.
David Magnani, Managing Partner, M&A Executive Search
Create In-House Intrapreneurs
You know what’s a good reason to invest in employee development? It helps create “intrapreneurs” within your company—employees who think and act like entrepreneurs but within the framework of your organization.
When you develop employee skills, you aren’t just helping them to do their jobs better. You’re also creating the conditions for them to become more involved in ownership—to take on projects, spot new business opportunities, and generate innovation from within the organization, rather than simply being led from above. And some of that innovation could be groundbreaking.
I’ve witnessed this in action, too, when a company trusted their team to have more influence over how they made their decisions. One team member, who was initially focused on a specific area of operations, took it upon themselves to start a new product line after they developed skills in business development. That investment in their growth transformed them into a key player in their strategy, way beyond their original role.
So, I believe developing employees with this entrepreneurial mindset turns your team into proactive problem-solvers and idea-generators, which can really change the way your company tackles growth and innovation.
Adam Klein, Certified Integral Coach® and Managing Director, New Ventures West
Build Client Value and Success
As the owner of two businesses, employee development is essential to success. By investing in my team through ongoing education and mentorship, I build skills and expertise that translate to value for clients.
For example, at my insurance agency, I provide an education stipend for employees to pursue professional certifications. This has created a team highly knowledgeable in our industry and able to find the best solutions for each client. We also hold weekly coaching sessions focused on communication and critical thinking. The results have been stronger client relationships and innovative risk management strategies.
At my consulting firm, employee development is key to delivering impact for clients. Through regular feedback and leadership opportunities, I empower employees to identify new growth opportunities for clients and design effective solutions. Recently, we worked with a communications coach to strengthen presentation and persuasion skills across the team. The ability to compellingly convey strategies to clients has led to greater buy-in and results.
For any business, developing your team leads to developing your success. By investing in education and providing mentorship, I have built companies able to achieve ongoing excellence for clients. Employee development is the strategy that has fueled growth this year.
Christian Strange, President, Strange Insurance Agency, Inc
Strengthen Internal Talent Pipeline
Investing in employee development is key to strengthening your company’s internal talent pipeline. Here’s why: as your business grows, you’ll need experienced people to lead. Instead of hiring external candidates, wouldn’t it be great to promote from within?
When you invest in employee development, you’re essentially preparing your team for future opportunities. You’re equipping them with the necessary skills and knowledge to take on larger roles. This way, when a higher position opens, you already have a pool of capable candidates to choose from.
For instance, let’s say you run a promotional campaign. If an employee has been trained in advanced SEO, they can step up and lead the project. They’ll know your business, understand your goals, and already fit into your culture. It’s a win-win!
Khanh Tran, Growth Manager, Italy Villa Finder
Enhance Job Satisfaction and Engagement
One crucial reason for investing in employee development is its direct impact on job satisfaction and engagement. When organizations prioritize the growth and learning of their workforce, employees feel valued and supported in their professional journey. This sense of investment from the company fosters a stronger connection between the employee and their work, leading to increased motivation, productivity, and overall job satisfaction. Employees who see a clear path for advancement and skill development within their organization are more likely to remain committed to their roles and the company’s success.
Ben Wieder, CEO, Level 6 Incentives
