All leaders struggle to find meaningful development activities for their team throughout the year.

It’s bad enough when you only have 2 or 3 people reporting to you. But when you’re running a division or an entire function with tens or hundreds of people, this task becomes overwhelming.

The end result?

Team and individual development gets forgotten. People disengage. People leave. People think you suck as a boss.

So what do we do?

Well, most leaders default to “outsourcing” their people’s development.

• We send them to expensive conferences (with no real objectives)

• We assign them to a mentor (who doesn’t have time to develop them either)

• We buy them self-paced, online courses (that they never finish)

All those are fine. And they have their place in a well-rounded individual development program.

But it’s the lazy approach. And the learnings often don’t connect in any sort of way over the course of a year.

ALSO…should we really be outsourcing the development of our people?

Or should we take full ownership of the content, the path, and the sequence of their development?

I think you know where I’m going with this 🙂

HOW TO TAKE OWNERSHIP OF YOUR TEAM’S DEVELOPMENT

About two years ago I was really struggling with this concept. My team has doubled in size over the last 5 years. That made development, succession, and career pathing much more complex. As a result, I wasn’t doing a good job of ensuring everyone had a strong development plan.

This really burned me because — as a principle — developing my team is a non-negotiable for me as a leader so I was losing sleep over it.

One late night, while I was doom-scrolling through the web looking at some training options, I came across some inspiration. It was a well-designed agenda of a multi-day, month-long “Virtual HR Summit”. It was being put on by an HR software vendor.

They had great speakers lined up on a wide range of HR topics. Since it was virtual, you could register and jump in and out to see topics that really interested you. And it was FREE!

And that’s when it dawned on me…

I could forward this link to my whole team. Sign up! I’d say. Maybe a few actually would. But that’s soooo lazy.

OR I take this concept, customize an agenda hyper-relevant for my team, and create a FULL-YEAR “TA Summit” of our own!

So what did I do?

I went into action mode and started thinking…

• I’m going to build an internal website for this!

• I’m going to get the best speakers from around the world!

• I’m going to have t-shirts made!

And then I physically slapped myself in the face and realized — I don’t have that kind of time.

So, I asked myself…

What’s the simplest and easiest way I could get this concept off the ground as soon as possible?

That’s when our “Year-Round TA Summit & Content Hub” was born.

It was free. It was fast to set up. And we started with some low-hanging fruit topics that appealed to the entire team.

With this simple idea, I was able to provide meaningful, structured, and internally relevant development. I laid out specific content for my leaders and individual contributors across recruiting ops, brand, and recruiting delivery.

It was a total team upskilling solution and it was up and running in one day…for free.

HOW TO ADOPT THE TA SUMMIT MODEL FOR YOUR TEAM

I created a multi-page overview of this concept with examples, screenshots, and a step-by-step breakdown of how I launched an internal TA summit at Sheetz. If you’d like the playbook for trying this at YOUR company for YOUR team, click here to request a copy of the blueprint:

// Supporting Resources

Here is a list of high-value assets based on the article.

Podcast Episodes to Listen to

• The HR L&D Podcast by Nick Day: Offers actionable advice, innovative strategies, and insights from industry leaders on topics like people management, leadership, inclusion, wellbeing, employee engagement, and culture development. Listen Here​
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• The HR Uprising Podcast’s "Building A Learning Culture" by Lucinda Carney: This specific podcast episode emphasizes embedding learning in all aspects of organizational life. Listen Here​
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• "The Power of Internal Mobility and Upskilling" (WorkLife with Adam Grant): Adam Grant explores how companies are successfully leveraging internal talent and upskilling programs to meet evolving business needs, directly impacting development strategies. Listen Here​
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• "How to Turn Learning into a Habit" (The Mind Tools Podcast): Discusses practical ways for individuals and teams to integrate learning into their daily routines, aligning with the idea of internal, consistent development. Listen Here
  

Articles to Skim

• "Building a Learning Organization" (Harvard Business Review) by David A. Garvin: A foundational article on how companies can create an environment where continuous learning and development are embedded into daily operations. Read Here​
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• “Top 9 Digital Transformation Best Practices for 2025” (ECM Consultant): It provides an overview of key practices including developing a clear digital strategy, securing top management support, and investing in employee training. Read Here​
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• “Reskilling and Upskilling: Definition and Examples in the Workplace” (Meditopia for Work): This article provides definitions, examples, and types of reskilling and upskilling, along with their benefits and connection to employee engagement and retention. Read Here
  

Actionable Blog Posts

• "Coaching Models Used to Structure a Conversation" (Coaching Focus):This article explores popular coaching models like GROW, CLEAR, OSCAR, STEPPA, and ACHIEVE, explaining how each structures conversations for goal setting and problem-solving. Read Here​
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• "70:20:10: Where Is the Evidence?" (ATD website): Provides practical steps and considerations for applying the 70-20-10 framework to develop your team. Read Here​
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• The Ultimate Guide to Structuring An Effective Mentorship Program: 6-Steps to Success" (Qooper): This article provides a comprehensive guide to building an effective mentoring program, covering objectives, metrics, and practical steps. Read Here

Visual Frameworks (Images/PDFs)

• The 70-20-10 Model Infographic: A visually appealing and easy-to-understand infographic illustrating the components of the 70-20-10 model. Image Link​
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• The GROW Model Steps Visual: A clean, step-by-step visual representation of the GROW coaching model. Image Link​
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• Maslow's Hierarchy of Hiring Pyramid: Provides an overview and insights on how Maslow's hierarchy of needs is applicable in hiring. Image Link​
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• Start-Stop-Continue Feedback Tool: A simple, effective graphic illustrating the "Start-Stop-Continue" feedback framework for development conversations. Image Link

Insightful LinkedIn Posts

• LinkedIn Post by Jen Dewar on Upskilling: Jen Dewar explains that Upskilling is about enhancing existing skills to improve performance in a current role or prepare for advancement. See Post Here​
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• LinkedIn Post by Dr. Jerome Joseph, CSP on L&D Trends: Dr. Jerome shares his insights about the future of learning and development, trends, and programs. See Post Here