208 Transition

Let’s start with a story. I had a longstanding ambition to be a Senior Executive in a Government Department or within a Non-Government Organisation. From finishing my postgraduate degree in 2003 to making my internal transition in 2017, I was not part of any clear talent management program.

The desire was there. I was keen to learn. I applied for leadership development programs – although very few were offered in the public service. I read widely and sought mentors where I could. In my most senior role, my professional development plan consisted of the occasional conversation.

I reached a point where I could no longer see a future for myself in these senior roles. So I retrained – at my own expense – in human resources, change management and football coaching. Through this learning I began to see, from the outside in, the gaps in talent management in the public sector.

There was, at that time, no real development pathway to become an Executive. There was no thoughtful answer to the question of why and how we should develop better leaders and better people.

The data on the impact of professional development plans in Australia is patchy. Ironically, much of the research is in the public sector. There is minimal evidence supporting their impact. What does exist highlights what constitutes good practice: ongoing dialogue, co-design, and a genuine focus on growth and learning.

Over the weekend I attended the Football NSW Coaches Conference. Speakers from the Japanese, German and Italian Football Associations, along with clubs like Melbourne City and Brighton & Hove Albion, spoke about talent development across professional clubs and international teams. Their central question was: how do we develop footballers — and people?

Men, women, boys and girls. Youth to adults. Coaches and management. All were part of a clear development pathway. Brighton & Hove Albion, for example, have a structured framework that supports young footballers from as early as five years old, all the way through to the Premier League. Some make it to their first team. Others find opportunities with different clubs. But the journey is intentional.

The core of their approach is something beautifully simple: the professional development plan. A shared dialogue that follows a player or coach over time. A conversation that captures strengths, gaps, preferred ways of learning, dreams, and the support needed to reach them. A learning-centred framework that clarifies the responsibilities of both the individual and the organisation.

What struck me was how these plans functioned when circumstances changed. When a player was injured, or no longer a first-team prospect, the conversation became: how can we still help this person flourish? Perhaps through coaching. Perhaps through a loan to another club. The plan enabled not just continuity — but transformation.

In that moment, it was clear to me that football is now years ahead of most public sector and corporate environments. They were talking about their people with dignity and intention. They were honouring the data their people had entrusted to them.

I once worked in a public sector role where completed professional development plans were reported as a KPI of the HR function. On paper, I had a plan. In reality, I had a form.

I repeatedly expressed commitment to growing as a change manager. I invested in my own training. Yet when I was let go — and another part of the organisation soon advertised a change manager role — there was no attempt to connect the opportunity with what I had articulated in my plan.

This is not about bitterness — it’s about clarity. I’ve come to believe that a well-implemented development plan is not a procedural requirement — it is a covenant. A recognition of potential. A commitment to growth. A shared accountability.

Brighton & Hove Albion would never let a young player simply slip through a bureaucratic crack without considering how to support their journey.

And I suspect the organisations that learn to treat people with that level of intention and humanity will be the ones that ultimately thrive.