Intentionality, Holidays, and the Art of Developing Talent

Gather a group of people—for whatever purpose—and you’ll end up with power dynamics, unconscious bias, prickly personalities, and a host of other factors that can either make or break the experience.

Priya Parker, facilitator, strategic advisor, and author of the bestselling book The Art of Gathering and the day 2 keynote speaker for ATD 2023, is an expert gatherer of people. As we head into the holiday season when many of us will gather with families and co-workers, it’s worth considering a cornerstone that, as Parker notes, can be the single greatest element of any gathering’s success: intentionality.

It’s also worth considering intentionality in our talent development efforts.

Intentional Gathering

Intentionality takes work, forethought, and a predisposition for caring about others. In the holiday gathering context, that can look like facilitating comfort, conversation, and belonging—and possibly easing tension.

In this 2019 blog post, the author notes, “An intentional gathering brings a specific group of people together in a meaningful and memorable way. These are the types of gatherings that stick in your mind for years to come, as opposed to ones where you leave and ask yourself, ‘Did it even matter that I was there?’”

Creating an intentional experience is hard work because it requires the host to mindfully consider the people who will attend. It requires a certain knowledge of who they are, what matters to them, and what commonalities there are among those gathered. The goal is to create a shared and meaningful experience.

Intentionality and Talent Development

What is true about the intentional gathering of family and friends for the holidays is also true about the learning experiences we create for our employees and clients.

I’ve seen this philosophy characterized as “the learner experience” or “aligning to business needs and strategies” or “relevant development initiatives” in a talent development context. I think that is our true north as TD professionals. Learner needs and their learning experiences should be front and center. The business should benefit from the time and expense invested in TD efforts. Learners shouldn’t walk away from courses or development opportunities feeling like they were a waste of time or that they could have had a better experience.

Are we confident that we’re delivering intentional and valuable L&D experiences? Are we investing ourselves in really understanding who’s in the room when we design or facilitate our programs? Are we intentionally gathering, designing, and facilitating each and every engagement?

Intentionality takes a lot of work. Our friends and family deserve that in our holiday gatherings. Our learners deserve that in the talent development gatherings we design and deliver.