Inspired by our looming Independence Day to reflect on what it really means to be independent, I thought we could look at some of the assumptions underlying career development together. Oh ok wait, what does career development have to do with independence? The literal interpretation of independent is self-governing, which might be harder to link to career development unless you appreciate that being adequately skilled means you are free to explore the labour market you operate in, offering your services based on the assessed mutual benefit of any employment arrangement you enter into (as opposed to being forced to take whatever is available), but even if you think that independent in professional terms means objective and unbiased, you can see how engaging in career developing activities can only make you better at your work.
Having said that then, the assumption when some of these HR programs are designed and offered to staff is that there is interest amongst the colleagues to grow professionally – including in those personal skills that help professional engagement. The assumption is usually inspired by market research and industry best practice, and it is informed by the various surveys done by the HR office, whether we’re talking outright staff surveys or training needs analysis based on the performance appraisals, or workforce analysis, or any other credible source of information. Interest in professional growth? Yes, HR practitioners assume that staff would welcome opportunities to develop and grow their competency profiles, not just to position for higher salaries but to cultivate the level of agility and professional maturity that would maintain employability, whether within the company or in the open market.
