In our webinar “Forget traditional training – develop skills strategically”, hosted by Tuomo Loukomies, Managing Director at Brights Learning Finland Oy, we explored what truly strategic skill development means – and how to make it a part of everyday business. He was joined by two experienced professionals: Johanna Pystynen, CEO at Guidin, and Jori Pakkanen, Governance Officer at Fennia. Together, they brought a wealth of insights into how skills can be developed with strategic intent. Here are the key takeaways from their discussion.

The hidden crisis: skills gaps don't announce themselves

The webinar kicked off with a striking metaphor: a man falls from a skyscraper and says halfway down - "So far, so good." Similarly, many organizations continue with their current practices for years, even though their skills are no longer aligned with future goals. Things may appear stable - until the skills gap becomes impossible to ignore.

The lack of skills rarely causes an immediate crisis. Its effects accumulate over time: strategy falters, innovation slows down, and customer experience suffers. When critical skills are missing, the consequences show up with a delay - but hit harder. At that point, reactive training is no longer enough.

As Jori Pakkanen noted, it's crucial to shift the time horizon: "If your skill development is purely reactive, you're always behind." A strategic approach means investing in skills before they become urgent - because without them, your strategy won't succeed.

Training vs. learning: one creates events, the other builds capability

Traditional training creates isolated moments of learning, but it rarely becomes embedded in day-to-day work. The webinar emphasized that learning is not an end in itself, it's a means to build strategic capabilities. That's why development must start with strategy: what are our goals, and what do we need to be able to do to reach them?

Johanna Pystynen stressed that skill development should be positioned as part of the business – not just as an HR function. "If skills aren't on the business agenda, development becomes a resource issue, not a strategic choice." This means identifying and prioritizing skill needs together with business leadership.

A great question for every team or unit is: what skills are needed to achieve our goals? Once that's clear, development efforts can be focused and their impact can be evaluated. Skill development is no longer "something HR handles," but a vital part of everyday work.

Example: A B2B sales team shifting from transactional selling to solution selling didn't start with training. Instead, they mapped out what capabilities were needed: needs discovery, consultative pitching, business acumen. Weekly call debriefs, real-client coaching, and shadowing senior reps built those skills in real time.

Know your starting point

You can't build a meaningful learning path if you don't know your starting point. This doesn't mean massive evaluation projects, but rather a practical understanding of the skills your teams currently have – and what's missing.

Jori Pakkanen pointed out that identifying critical skills is about more than just listing competencies: "It's about breaking down strategic capabilities into concrete skills." This requires dialogue, prioritization, and the courage to leave some less critical items aside.

Often, organizations have no clear view of their current skill landscape. Information is fragmented or based on assumptions. And yet, development begins. This is like starting a journey with no map, the destination is left to chance. When the current state is known, realistic goals can be set and a powerful learning path can be built.

Example: A logistics firm wanted to become more data-driven. Leadership assumed everyone was "data fluent," but a quick skills scan revealed major literacy gaps. Rather than jump into advanced analytics tools, they began with practical sessions on data concepts, critical thinking, and visualization – with far better results.

Learning happens in everyday work

Trainings and coachings can be important catalysts, but long-term development happens on the job. The webinar made it clear: learning is not an event, it's a process that requires time, support, and the right culture.

Johanna Pystynen emphasized the role of managers in enabling learning: "A manager is not only responsible for performance, but also for learning. If they don't talk about learning, it won't happen." This means building a feedback culture, offering opportunities, and making space for learning.

Often, learning culture is the decisive factor. Is there permission to try and fail? Is new learning encouraged? Is peer learning supported? Strategic development isn't just a process - it's a way of working.

Example: A customer support center launched "Conversation Clinics" where agents reviewed transcripts together to spot moments of customer frustration or delight. This peer-led approach improved soft skills, empathy, and response times – without any formal course.

Make it collaborative – and own it at the leadership level

One of the core messages from the webinar was this: skills development must be a shared responsibility. Leadership sets the direction, HR provides the tools and support, and the business puts development into action. When all roles align, true impact is possible.

Too often, development is left solely to HR without strong business involvement – or business leaders expect HR to "deliver skills" without participating. This dynamic simply doesn't work. Leadership must take ownership of skills development – not because it's HR's agenda, but because it's essential to the business.

Tuomo Loukomies emphasized the importance of a clear roadmap: "When you know what capabilities you're building and why, skill development stops being random and starts becoming intentional." A skills roadmap helps create shared visibility – what skills are needed, who has them, and what the development timeline looks like. That's the foundation for strategic, long-term results.

Example: A tech company expanding into new markets brought HR, business leaders, and team leads into a joint capability planning session. They mapped out the multilingual, cross-cultural, and regulatory knowledge required. From there, development plans were co-owned and progress reviewed quarterly.