“Not Another Training…”: Why Some People Dread Professional Development—And How We Can Do Better
It’s a reaction I’ve heard more than once. In fact, just yesterday someone told me flat-out:
“I hate professional development. It’s always a waste of time and interrupts my real work.”
Ouch.
As someone who’s built a business around helping people grow through professional development, I could’ve taken that personally. But honestly? I get it.
Not everyone lights up at the idea of sitting through a workshop or filling out a reflection sheet. Not everyone is wired like I am - high in Learner and Input, energized by new ideas and the next “a-ha!” moment.
And that’s perfectly okay.
Why Some People Dread PD
Before I started designing learning experiences, I spent years sitting in them. And I remember the ones that didn’t work - where I walked away feeling like I lost valuable time I’d never get back. Well, full disclosure, I probably spent the PD session making a list of things I still needed to do that week or what groceries I needed to pick up on the way home...so I guess it wasn't a complete waste of my time?
Here are some common reasons people don’t enjoy professional development:
- It feels generic or irrelevant. When a session could be delivered to anyone, it rarely resonates with me.
- It doesn’t acknowledge the real stressors of the job. If I’m overwhelmed or barely keeping up, another training might feel like another demand.
- It’s passive. Being talked at for hours doesn’t foster connection or change.
- It feels like a checkbox. When the only goal is compliance, not growth, people check out.
- It’s disconnected from identity. If it doesn’t help me understand myself or others better, it’s hard to care.
And deep down, I sometimes wonder if there’s another reason, too - what if people are hesitant to uncover something about themselves they’re not sure how to face or implement? Insight without a path forward can feel overwhelming. And if you're already stretched thin, the idea of adding one more thing - even if it's personal growth - can feel like too much.
Any of this sound familiar? If you’ve ever sat in a session wondering how it was relevant to your reality, you’re not alone.
Putting the Person at the Center
Here’s what I believe: professional development should be about you.
Yes, your skills.
Yes, your team.
But also your whole self - your strengths, your values, your wellbeing.
That’s why every experience I design for Spark Engagement aims to do more than share strategies or frameworks. It’s about helping each person in the room find something that connects to who they are, not just what they do.
Because when people connect the dots between personal growth and professional effectiveness, the learning sticks. And when we feel seen, we show up differently.
What I Hope People Experience Instead
I don’t expect everyone to walk in excited. But I do hope they walk out saying:
- “That actually made me think.”
- “I felt like this was about me, not just my job.”
- “I didn’t expect to enjoy that, but I did.”
My goal isn’t to make you love PD. It’s to make it meaningful - to create space for insight, self-awareness, and maybe even a spark of inspiration you didn’t know you needed.
And no, you don’t need to be high Learner or Input for that to happen. You just need to be you, and open to exploring how knowing yourself better might support your work - and your life.
