During a recent podcast interview, the host said, “Julie, you’re all about simplifying career development, right?” I responded a bit tentatively, wondering where he was going. Then he asked, “What are the one or two most essential elements required for people to grow in the workplace?” I definitely had an answer for that.

Motivation + Support

Employees bring the motivation. They must be inspired to own their development and contribute curiosity, initiative and persistence. Leaders bring the support, which involves fostering psychological safety and trust, coaching, co-creating opportunities and offering resources. The podcast host and I explored these qualities independently before it was time to wrap up the interview.

But as I logged off, something began nagging at me. Motivation and support are not independent variables. I wanted to better understand this relationship, so I did what any good consultant would: I created a two-by-two matrix.

What resulted was a simple but helpful way of understanding the dynamic relationship between these factors and the various permutations experienced in today’s workplace.

This framework divides the landscape of career development into four quadrants:

• Development Desert: Nothing grows here because employees aren’t motivated and there’s no leadership support for growth.
• Squandered Support: Here, the leadership support that employees crave goes unutilized by those who don’t see career development as a priority.
• Stymied Stagnation: In this quadrant, employees have an appetite for growth but don’t have the support they need to make it happen. (This is a recipe for turnover).
• Growth Zone: This is the sweet spot where employees, leaders and organizations thrive together as motivation and support levels conspire to ensure meaningful and sustainable growth.

The Growth Zone is where we would like everyone to live. But according to the study from Intoo, “Unlocking Organizational Success by Supporting Employee Growth and Development,” nearly half (46%) of employees say they lack career support from managers. And while motivation is hard to quantify, engagement (which is just 32% in the U.S.) serves as a reasonable proxy.

So, how can we elevate the experience of career development and realize the benefits that come along with it? We need to think inside this “box” to activate greater motivation and more supportive leaders.

Here are a few strategies for guiding employees along the motivation axis:

• Connect development to purpose: Connect development to your employees’ their personal “why.”
• Offer a dose of reality: Share data about the changing workplace, shifting skill requirements and the need for everyone to future-proof their careers.
• Address psychological needs to foster intrinsic motivation: Design communication and programs that satisfy the human need for control, competence and connection.
• Ensure psychological safety: Foster an environment where employees feel safe to share ideas, take risks and learn from mistakes without fear of negative repercussions.

Leaders often move up the support axis when they are supported with strategies like:

• Quantify the costs/benefits: Link important priorities like engagement, development and retention to leadership support.
• Help leaders assess their efforts: Use engagement surveys to offer actionable data.
• Make it easy to reinforce learning: Create simple coaching cues, prompts and tools to remove as many barriers as possible.
• Recognize leaders who support development: Celebrate leaders who enable growth just as you do those who deliver other important business outcomes.

Motivation and support aren’t just variables — they can transform development from chance to choice. So, how will you help leaders and employees think inside this box and move toward the Growth Zone?