Invest in professional development

It's important to provide professional development for your staff. Yet many organizations are have de-emphasized training and other professional development.

For example, research company Info-Tech recently published a report showing that companies aren't keeping up with training. Their summary highlights the gap in professional development:

Core IT responsibilities now change approximately every 18 months, yet many organizations still approach learning as a periodic initiative rather than as part of operational execution. Info-Tech Research Group identifies this disconnect as a primary driver of persistent skill gaps and slowed execution.

Not training your teams has a real effect on retention. The risk is that you'll lose your top talent if you don't invest in them.

Info-Tech recommends "a structured, phased approach designed to integrate learning directly into IT operations and business delivery" including:

1. Build a team skill backlog
2. Embed learning into the workflow
3. Sustain continuous learning cycle

We've highlighted this need to invest in teams through training and development. By investing in your organization, you create stronger teams that are supported and enabled to lead from within and respond more quickly to challenges.