Training is everything. The peach was once a bitter almond; cauliflower is nothing but cabbage with a college education.

Mark Twain

recent survey by CareerBuilder.com found that 35% of retail workers are planning to look for a new job this year. In CareerBuilder's "Job Forecast 2006 - Retail" study, employees cited lack of career development as a main reason they were choosing to move on.

Thirty-seven percent of workers felt they were overlooked for promotions, 35% were unhappy with career advancement opportunities and 30% felt their employer was not doing a good job with training and professional development.

Are these employees different from any of us? Doesn't everyone want to be in a professional position that is valued and has significant potential for advancement? No one wants to invest time and energy every day simply to stagnate or feel forced to change companies to advance up the career ladder. We all want challenges, opportunities for growth and the ability to live up to our potential.

Therefore, both employees and managers should examine their behavior when it comes to professional development. Managers should ask themselves some hard questions to determine if they are recognizing their top employees adequately and if they are helping to foster the growth of their younger staff.

If managers are not rewarding and promoting top achievers while also nurturing the development of less-seasoned staff, they will have difficulty maintaining a top sales team.

Employees should also analyze their behavior. They should ask themselves if they are taking charge of their professional development and doing everything in their power to further their career.

Blaming a lack of skills on an employer's weak training program, or attributing a career plateau on an ineffectual boss is a poor excuse. If employees want to be promoted or become part of a successful sales team they must be willing to make it happen. Here are some tough questions for both managers and employees.

Managers

If you are in a managerial or executive position and you want to recruit and maintain the best team possible, ask yourself the following questions:

• How do I learn about my employees' achievements? Do I rely on others to tell me or do I seek out the information myself?
• What am I doing to make sure my employees are recognized and promoted when they earn it?
• How do I acknowledge my employees' achievements?
• Do my employees come to me to request promotions, or do they leave the company and take advanced positions elsewhere?
• What types of training courses or professional development programs does my company offer?
• Who determines the content and frequency of training and professional development programs? Do the employees have input?
• How are professional development opportunities communicated to my employees?
• How many employees are taking advantage of these opportunities? If the number is low, why?
• How do I facilitate my staff being able to attend training? Do I approve time off for training? Do I schedule extra staff to compensate for the absent employee?
• What is my rate of staff turnover? How does this compare to other departments within my company? How does it compare to others in my industry?

Employees

If you are an employee wishing to create a long and lucrative career, ask yourself the following questions:

• What types of training courses or professional development programs does my company offer?
• Am I taking advantage of all the educational and professional development opportunities available to me?
• Do I request specific training when I need it?
• If my company doesn't offer training, what am I doing to find it elsewhere?
• How do I let those in positions of power know that I desire training and am worthy of the investment?
• What am I doing to make sure my managers are aware of my achievements?
• How do I demonstrate to my superiors that I deserve a promotion?
• Do I approach my superiors when I feel overlooked for promotions, or do I simply start looking for another job?

For the good of the employee and the company as a whole, both employees and managers should take responsibility for professional development and training courses. Everyone wants to feel that the sky is the limit and that tomorrow holds even more promise than today. Examining our behavior and the opportunities available to us will help each of us maximize those opportunities and realize a more successful career.