Certifications or Clay?

The story: The team's top priority was professional growth. She booked pottery classes during work hours — creativity boosts problem solving, she argued. He was bewildered. He meant certifications, courses, hard skills. Not clay. Both had committed to growth. Neither had discussed what growing actually looked like for their roles.

What it means for organisations: "Professional growth" is a priority that almost every team agrees on and almost no team defines. The moment it becomes an action — time allocated, budget spent, calendar blocked — the gap between each person's interpretation becomes visible and costly. Agreement on the goal is not agreement on what counts as progress toward it.