Development is more than a training program—it's continual.

The Economic Times advises that "Firms must scale investments in learning, think laterally about career journeys, and cultivate a continuous 'talent creation' mindset, in order to expand the pie of talent meaningfully, and gain a disproportionate share of it in quality and quantity." While there are many questions about the future of work and how to approach it, that sentence sums up the challenge talent developers and business leaders face.

The ATD Research whitepaper Bridging the Skills Gap details a seven-step action plan to address skills gaps, beginning with clarifying and understanding your organization's performance metrics, followed by identifying capabilities and skills that map to business strategies and performance metrics. "Future Skill the Workforce" poses questions talent development professionals can ask to help identify necessary organizational skills and behaviors and how workers can attain them.

Industry. What are leading organizations doing in your industry? What are trusted business publications saying about the future of the field?

Business. What business units are your greatest profit centers? What is your organization's five-year plan?

Leaders. Where do your leaders envision the business and industry going in the coming years?

In your exploration, don't forgot to include conversations with managers and employees. They'll have firsthand knowledge of skills and resources, as well as organizational mindset and culture. Is there time and support for continual L&D?

These tips were adapted from the September 2022 issue of TD at Work. Learn more at td.org/TDatWork.