Each company I have ever had the honor to work for has gone above and beyond to provide me and my coworkers with free skills and career development. They've sent persuasive emails for workshops or posted links to podcasts on internal company channels, feverishly trying to reach me like my car's extended warranty has expired. So, why are so many employees not lining up for the free goody bags full of learning? 

It's because most companies have barely put their big toe into the vast sea of learning and development and have yet to explore what it can be. Unfortunately, employers make the mistake of marketing L&D as job training or compliance, and I only know a few people who are excited about lining up for training. 

So as Gurus tend to do, I asked myself a simple question. Why are L&D departments stuck in this rut? And after many years of thought, I've concluded that it's because many in our industry continue to subscribe to the outdated mantra of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." When employers subscribe to this, it traps them into believing that employees who want to learn will somehow own their development, and those who are not will eventually get on board when they decide it's time for a promotion. 

If you ask me, we must change how we think about L&D and embrace the pot of gold waiting for us all (employers and employees alike) at the end of the rainbow. Employees ARE hungry to be developed, and companies have the food. All it takes is embracing a Growth Mindset to accept change, an engaging spread of learning, and me, a Learning & Development Guru, to help you serve it up.