Stop Pushing Harder. Start Co-Creating Your Career Development

When a manager keeps pushing back on upskilling requests and development keeps getting deprioritised, it is important to understand what needs to be in place for something to be approved, instead of assuming.

This is where we co-create, align, and take ownership to continuously engage our managers.

1. There is always a reason behind a yes or a no 

In many cases, the pushback simply means the manager does not yet see how the course ties back to the role you are doing today, the role you are growing into, and the value it creates for the business.

It is not just about what we want. It is about how the decision supports the organisation and the value it brings.

This is why many managers prefer to look at development requests through a development plan first. A development plan clarifies the gaps that need to be filled for where you want to go next.

Any development course then needs to clearly show how it closes those gaps and contributes to business impact.

2. It is about co-creating

Many people do the right thing by researching courses and proposing them. That is a great starting point.

But when it comes to career development, we do not want to assume. We want to get buy-in from leaders early and build the plan together so we focus on the right things that pay off and help us move forward in the company - which is the ultimate goal!

Here’s an overview of a sample career development plan

1. Identifying where you want to go
2. Translating that into a development plan
3. Identifying the gaps between where you are and the goal
4. Identifying courses and opportunities that fill those gaps
5. Closing the gaps and position yourself for the goal

Most people jump straight to Step 4. They find a course, propose it, and hope it gets approved.

But if there is not yet clarity on Steps 1–3, managers will struggle to build a business case for the course.

In other words, the issue may not be the course itself. It may simply mean there is not yet clarity on where you are trying to go, what the development plan looks like, and what gaps need to be filled.

This is why co-creating the development plan becomes so important. When you build the plan together, the course becomes an obvious step in closing a clearly defined gap rather than a standalone request.

Development conversations also should not be one-and-done. They should be built into monthly or quarterly check-ins to ask for feedback, track progress against the plan and identify gaps.

When you create this cadence, you create space to raise these conversations consistently. A big part of this is taking ownership rather than waiting for your manager to start and continue the conversation.

3. All emotions are valid 

It is completely okay to feel emotional about this. It usually means you care about your growth.

But there is one belief that often sits underneath the frustration: “I have done what I was asked. I should get what I want.”

But good work is the entry ticket. We also need to clearly tie our work to business impact. We cannot assume that good work automatically leads to opportunities. That link needs to be made visible and intentional.

Final Thoughts

If this situation feels familiar, you’ll find my Career Power Move Playbook helpful. It gives you the step by step framework on how to get clarity, buy-in and move your career forward!  

Rooting for you,
Angel Kilian
Founder | Career inFocus