As the economy climbs out of the recent recession, many employees are taking stock of their current positions and evaluating how they are staying relevant, and also considering how their career investment in an organization prepares them for tomorrow.

Effective career development programs help employees not only to advance their careers, but also to build their engagement over time. EJ Blanchfield, chief people officer of Point B, an employee-owned management-consulting firm, identifies career development as a key tool for business leaders to achieve their goals today and into the future.

Three Pillars: Business, Development and Culture

Many businesses set out to build a corporate culture, but these efforts often fall flat in the face of day-to-day business demands. A solid corporate culture that employees can readily describe in a positive manner is an absolute. Most organizations take appropriate steps to align their employee development initiatives with business objectives. But, they often miss the critical next step of aligning their development strategy with their corporate culture, which is crucial to greater employee commitment and trust.

For example, if you offer a program on feedback and it is taboo to speak your mind—what behaviors have you reinforced? If your organization touts work-life balance, does career development also address personal goals outside of the organization? Look beyond what you are teaching to uncover how these behaviors align to your culture and your overall strategies.

Three Actions: Listen, Learn and Collaborate

To retain high-quality talent, businesses need to listen and learn to better prioritize employee preferences. Creating a culture of collaboration and openness is invaluable to the career development of employees.

Employee advisory boards, discussion forums, luncheon focus groups and after-hours events are all vehicles to initiate two-way conversations. If employees feel that they are part of the process as programs and strategies are created, they will be more engaged and will continue to strive to advance their careers and achieve the goals of the business.

Three Goals: Leadership, Innovation and Engagement

Many factors influence businesses on a day-to-day basis – economic conditions, marketplace dynamics and technology advancements, to name a few. In the face of these changes, organizations must continue to monitor their positioning and gauge whether or not they are delivering on their development promise and evolving employee programs accordingly.

Career development programs should be relevant and resonate at all levels across the organization.

Maintaining a strong development culture and presence at the leadership and executive levels remains important as they are regularly regarded as mentors, coaches and development role models. Initiating innovative programs and approaches to career development, while also being willing to retire programs that no longer meet employee needs is vital to further employee engagement. As companies grow, the natural tendency is to create more structure—more policies, more procedures. Staying nimble allows you to stay relevant to one of your most important audiences—your employees.