January 23, 2026

Building a career development strategy in your organization retains talent and boosts productivity. And it starts with one simple act.

When Leon Kallikkadan learned that someone on another team had her sights on a role in his technology department, he sat down with her and mapped out a plan to help her get there.

“She’d been a recruiter, so she understood our business,” explains Kallikkadan, EVP of technology at Atrium, a global workforce management and talent solutions provider. “Then she moved to a business applications support role, so she knew our tools. I suggested she get PMP and Scrum certified so I could move her to a leadership role.”

Kallikkadan’s own career path had been defined by a similar conversation with a manager who helped him plot a route to leadership. So, this response, for him and others in his company, was reflexive.

With talent markets tight and high-potential employee retention on the line, building a successful career development strategy can be a difference maker for IT organizations. And it starts with one simple act: Ask where your people see themselves in three or five years and listen to the answer. If you use what you learn to build a roadmap for each person, that effort will have a profound impact on your organization, improving retention, bolstering the bottom line, and building careers.

According to a LinkedIn study, 94% of employees stay longer in companies that invest in professional development. Another survey from Pew Research found that a lack of career development is the most common reason for quitting a job. A study from agentic intelligence company Draup found that internal candidates are 50% more likely than external hires to stay beyond 18 months in a new role — and that companies that don’t reskill pay a 25-30% premium to replace midcareer engineers.

It is a simple act. But like many strategic moves, it is more complicated than it appears on the surface. I spoke to experts, career coaches, and leaders for advice on how to do it well.