Upskill them or lose them: why training your team has become more important and urgent than ever.
- Christina - Spark Back Coaching
- Oct 15
- 2 min read
Everyone talks about “investing in people.” But when it comes to actual learning and development, too many leaders tick a box and move on.
Maybe you have a learning budget or maybe your #team even attended a workshop last year.
That's a great start but not a real investment. Especially not when McKinsey’s research shows that demand for advanced #tech #skills could rise by almost 90% by 2030. And it’s not just technical know-how but social, emotional, and critical thinking skills are climbing even faster in value.
💎What investing in learning really looks like
➕ Upsides:
Keeps your team relevant. Without upskilling, skills become obsolete quickly in fast-moving fields, especially with #AI and automation.
Improves retention. Employees feel valued when leaders invest in their growth.
Boosts innovation and adaptability.
Competitive advantage. Companies that skill up faster adapt more smoothly.
➖ Downsides / Risks:
Training budgets don't always translate into results. If people don't use training, or if the training isn't aligned, the investment is wasted.
Time cost: Learning takes time and may slow short-term output. You must balance between upskilling and keeping business running.
Skill mismatch risk: Training in the "wrong" skills that become irrelevant or under-utilized.
Lack of engagement: If training is forced, generic, or unlinked to actual work, people may see it as box-ticking.
🎯Your plan for optimal results & minimal risk
Skill gap audit: Find out what skills your team has and what they lack, and map those gaps to business strategy. Use surveys, manager check-ins, and #performance data.
Learning roadmap: For each role, define a 6-12 month plan that includes the skills in highest priority with a mix of formats (online courses, internal workshops, mentoring, job rotations).
Make learning part of the job: Carve out time (1 hour/week), assign people to apply learning in real work projects, and encourage sharing their learnings with the team.
Leadership commitment & #culture: As a leader, you must model continuous learning. Share what you're learning. Admit when you don't know. Reward learning (not only results) and create a safe environment for experimentation and productive failure.
Measure & improve: Metrics might include usage of training resources, improvements in performance, speed of adopting new tools, and retention. Get feedback from your team and adjust the plan.
Get #feedback from your team and adjust the plan.
💣Truth bomb
#hiring externally for the skills you need to achieve your business goals is an unsustainable and costly practice. Investing in training and upskilling your team now will give you the competitive and strategic advantage that you need for the future.
🌟Sparking Leadership # 23: a weekly series on human-centered, sustainable #leadership. Follow for real talk and practical tools. In the meantime, lead with spark!
