How to Build a Culture Where People Grow
The best workplaces do not just get work out of people. They help people become more, and those people tend to stay, perform and bring others with them.
To build a culture where people grow, make development part of every manager’s job, hold regular conversations about progress, give stretch opportunities with support, recognize growth as well as results, make it safe to try and fail, promote from within when you can and let people see that growing here leads somewhere. Growth cultures retain people because people stay where they are becoming more.
At a company holiday party, an employee’s spouse came up to thank me. Not for a bonus or a title, but because working with us had helped their spouse become a better person at home. That conversation shaped my mission more than anything else, and it shapes how I think about culture.
A culture where people grow is not a perk. It is one of the strongest reasons people stay. LinkedIn Learning found that 84% of employees agree learning adds purpose to their work, yet Gallup found only 32% of U.S. employees had opportunities to learn and grow at work in the past year.
Seven practices of a culture where people grow
- Development is every manager’s job. Not just HR’s.
- Talk about progress. Regularly, not just at reviews.
- Stretch with support. Real opportunities, real help.
- Recognize growth. Not only results.
- Make it safe to try. Mistakes become lessons.
- Promote from within. Show that growth leads somewhere.
- Care about the whole person. Growth goes home too.
Make development every manager’s job
Deloitte found managers spend only 13% of their time developing their people. In a growth culture, developing people is part of how managers are evaluated, not something they get to if there is time. See How to Develop Your Employees.
Talk about progress regularly
Gallup found only 31% of U.S. employees say someone at work has talked with them about their progress in the past six months. A short, regular conversation about growth, not just tasks, changes how people feel about where they work. See How to Run a One-on-One Meeting.
Make it safe to try
People only stretch when it is safe to stumble. Leaders set the tone by owning their own mistakes and treating others’ mistakes as learning. See How to Build Psychological Safety at Work.
Promote from within
Nothing signals a growth culture like seeing peers move up. When I promote leaders, I ask the team who already makes everyone better. Promotions grounded in how people develop others reinforce the culture you want.
Remember growth goes home
When someone grows at work, their family often feels it. That is the deepest reason to build a culture where people grow: it reaches far beyond the office.
Building growth cultures is the focus of You Are Capable of a Better Culture, built on the SPARK framework. For the bigger picture, read Human Potential: A Complete Guide.
People stay where they are becoming more. Make development every manager’s job, talk about progress regularly, stretch with support, recognize growth, make it safe to try, promote from within and remember that growth goes home too.
Frequently asked questions
What is a growth culture at work?
How do you build a culture of learning and development?
Why does a growth culture help retention?
What role do leaders play in a growth culture?
You Are Capable of More
A No-Excuses Guide to Becoming Your Best Self. The bestselling book behind Chris’s keynotes and the 2026 Paris Book Festival winner in the How-To category. Many teams hand a copy to every seller at their kickoff.
Build a culture
where people grow.
Chris Sund speaks on this in You Are Capable of a Better Culture, for conferences, leadership teams and company meetings.
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