Once upon a time, careers followed a predictable path. You worked hard, kept your head down, and waited for annual reviews or promotion cycles to decide your future. That world is gone.
Today, the world of work is in constant motion. Skills that once lasted roughly 7 years now have a shelf life of just a few years, and according to World Economic Forum, 44% of current skills will be disrupted by 2027. For employees, especially early-career professionals and first-time leaders, this shift has created both opportunity and pressure.
The opportunity? The chance to shape your own path.
The pressure? The realisation that no one else will do it for you.
The Mindset Shift: From Waiting to Owning
Traditional development models assumed growth was something done to people: through training sessions, performance reviews, or manager feedback. But those touchpoints are too infrequent, too slow, and often disconnected from the reality of daily work.
In the new world of work, growth is no longer about climbing a pre-set ladder. It’s about building the clarity, confidence, and habits to navigate change and it starts with ownership.
Owning your development means:
- Seeking out advice instead of waiting for it
- Turning everyday work moments into learning moments
- Taking small, consistent steps rather than waiting for big breaks
- Building the self-awareness to know what you need and when
It’s a shift from passive to proactive; from hoping growth will happen…to making sure it does.
Psychologist Carol Dweck’s research on the growth mindset shows that people who believe abilities can be developed through effort and feedback are more likely to embrace challenges, persist after setbacks, and see failure as part of the learning process (Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, 2006).
In comparison, those with a fixed mindset avoid risks, fearing mistakes as proof they “aren’t good enough.”
Owning your development means choosing the growth mindset: seeing every experience as data, every challenge as practice, and every stumble as a stepping stone. It moves learning from something that happens to you… to something you actively create.
Why Organisations Must Evolve Too
While individual ownership is key, organisations can’t sit back. In today’s environment retaining talent, is harder than ever. Attrition among early-career talent and first-time leaders is rising globally. LinkedIn’s 2024 Workplace Learning Report found that employees under 30 are the most likely to leave within two years, often citing lack of growth opportunities as the top reason.
When employees lack confidence or clarity, they hesitate, disengage, and eventually leave. This isn’t just a people problem, it’s a business problem. The Society for Human Resource Management estimates the cost of replacing an employee can reach 50–250% of their annual salary, depending on the role. Beyond direct costs, the loss of institutional knowledge and disruption to team culture compound the damage.
And yet, most organisational development still relies on episodic training: long courses, static learning libraries, and one-off workshops. Research by Deloitte highlights that while companies spend billions on learning, only 10% of what employees learn in formal training is applied on the job. Traditional learning sits outside the flow of work; employees return to their desks, and the pressure of real life erodes the impact of formal learning.
What companies need now isn’t more content, it’s context.
Tools that embed growth where it matters most: in the moments when people are making decisions, facing challenges, and shaping their careers in real time.
The Future Belongs to the Proactive
For individuals, that means building clarity about what you want, the confidence to pursue it, and the momentum to keep going.
For organisations, it means creating environments where growth is expected, supported, and woven into everyday work and not confined to annual reviews or occasional training days.
Development can’t be left to chance or calendar invites.
It must be intentional. Continuous. Embedded in the moments where work actually happens.
Because the future won’t wait.
And neither should your growth.
Stop waiting for permission.
Your growth is your responsibility — and your greatest opportunity.
Own it.
IMPACTORA is a SaaS platform, a personalised growth coach in your employees’ pockets, designed to make learning in the flow of work timely, relevant, and actionable.
Check out impactora.com or email us at hello@impactora.com for information on how we can support your team(s) or organization.