Investing In Your Employees: Kathleen Steffey Of Naviga Recruiting & Executive Search On The Benefits of Offering Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Initiatives For Employees
An Interview With Chad Silverstein
Enhanced teamwork — When individuals are focused on personal growth, it positively influences their team members. Happy employees foster a more collaborative and cohesive work environment. The emphasis on Continuous Professional Development (CPD) not only improves individual skills but also strengthens teamwork and collaboration. I’ve observed a significant impact from consistently investing in CPD initiatives, akin to nurturing plants for growth.
Investing in team development has become increasingly crucial for forward-thinking companies, who understand that their greatest assets are their people. From implementing innovative training programs and wellness initiatives to cultivating a supportive work environment, these strategic investments play a vital role in enhancing employee satisfaction and retention. As the business landscape evolves, mastering effective methods to support and retain employees is pivotal for achieving long-term success. I had the pleasure of interviewing Kathleen Steffey.
Kathleen Steffey is the CEO and Founder of Naviga Recruiting & Executive Search, a firm specializing in executive, sales, marketing, and operations recruitment across North America. With over twenty-two years of experience, she has led corporate talent acquisition teams before establishing Naviga. As Chief Talent Officer, Kathleen directs a dedicated team to find top candidates for global roles, working closely with executives, hiring managers, and HR professionals to address talent acquisition challenges and streamline the hiring process.
Thank you for joining us. To start, could you share a little about yourself, and how you got started?
I began my career in the mid-90s as a corporate recruiter in the telecom and software industries. After 9/11, I transitioned into entrepreneurship and founded Naviga, which I’ve now successfully owned and operated for nearly 23 years.
What was your biggest challenge in those early days?
My biggest challenge was growing the business without a playbook — building business development and marketing piece by piece, then executing projects without a clear game plan. It was all about taking things day by day, hustling like an individual contributor. Despite the challenges, I truly enjoyed the process.
Was there anything specific that inspired you to prioritize CPD initiatives in your company? Can you explain why this is important for the success of a business?
At one point, I reached a crossroads where I realized I needed to prioritize the career development of my team and focus on fostering growth, coaching, and feedback like never before. Around the 11th or 12th year, the business experienced some turnover as we were heavily focused on metrics, following the advice of a business coach. This created a culture that didn’t align with who I am.
When I returned to leading with empathy and focusing on career progression and development, things started to improve significantly. The results were remarkable, and the retention of my team reflected the positive changes.
Can you please share with us, and briefly explain the first major initiative you started that directly benefited your employees?
A key initiative that greatly benefited employees’ development involved identifying specific business gaps and forming project teams to address those challenges. These teams collaborated to present solutions, develop strategies, and implement them within the organization. I consistently led this effort for several years to drive business impact, engage the team in growth and change, and foster a sense of ownership. It provided employees with valuable experience in decision-making and teamwork, ultimately serving as a significant resume builder.
This approach allowed employees to work independently within cross-functional teams, tackling real business issues, which was a game-changer for building confidence. Seeing their ideas implemented, even when some aspects were challenged but not dismissed, had a profound impact. As a result, I’ve witnessed considerable growth among many employees since introducing this strategy, which functions like small case studies for business problem-solving.
Do you have an example of a situation where you didn’t get the result you were looking for, and tell us what happened as a result?
We have an example of an example that is a work in progress, where the team took charge of our client management initiatives, specifically segmenting responsibilities for managing clients once a new project is underway. They assigned roles, handled resource allocation, and I approved their plan, which has since been implemented. Although it’s still a work in progress, the challenges that have arisen have fallen to me as a leader to resolve. With my broader perspective, I can see both the positive and negative outcomes of their decisions, but that’s part of the process.
Career development isn’t linear — it’s a journey with twists and turns. We’re all learning as we go, and it’s an ongoing process of evaluation and growth.
What has been the most impactful CPD initiative you’ve seen other companies offer, and how did it inspire or influence your own approach?
One approach I’ve taken to enhance CPD is holding the team accountable for the overall growth of the business and helping them understand how their individual roles contribute to that bigger picture. It may sound simple, but as a small business, we haven’t always had these structured conversations or accountability measures in place.
To address this, I created a core team with weekly accountabilities that they share with the organization. This process stretches their CPD in various ways — encouraging them to think strategically, report not only to leaders but also to their peers, and take ownership within the organization.
When implementing this type of framework, similar to the military’s MDMP, the key challenge is the commitment to follow through. Leaders need to step back from the day-to-day and view the organization from a higher level to identify gaps. This allows you to give the team clear missions to work on and solve. It’s important to keep this focus front and center, while also being mindful of how many initiatives the team is tackling at once.
What challenges might companies face when implementing these initiatives, and how can they overcome them?
One of the challenges we’ve faced is that we went a bit overboard with trying to solve problems through a high volume of changes, involving many different teams over the past few years. The key is realizing that constantly changing things isn’t always the answer. We need to honor the processes we’ve put in place, address the gaps, and then give it some time to see how things play out, rather than constantly redirecting and tweaking. The biggest challenge is balancing how often we pull teams away from their day-to-day responsibilities to focus on career development and business impact. It’s a delicate balance that requires careful consideration.
Can you share a story of an employee who significantly benefited, and how it affected their performance or career trajectory?
I had a top recruiter who consistently excelled in every aspect of their role. They demonstrated the drive, decision-making, and leadership potential that caught my attention, which is a significant factor for me when considering promotions. This individual was recently promoted to lead all of our recruiters on a day-to-day basis.
The reason for this promotion ties back to the philosophy many of us have heard: ‘You do the job you want, not the job you have.’ She embodied this by taking initiative, building strong relationships, and consistently following through. Her ability to challenge my thinking and work collaboratively with the team and clients was remarkable. On top of that, she over-delivered on every project.
These were clear signs that she was ready for more responsibility. Her natural leadership qualities stood out — those are traits you can’t teach. While the skills can be developed, her innate characteristics made it clear that her career was ready to take off. There was no question that she was on a path to shine.
Could you please list the “Top Five Benefits of Offering Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Initiatives For Employees”? Can you explain what you mean?
1. The top priority is retention — The more you invest in creating a positive culture — through coaching, feedback, challenges, encouragement, and even lighthearted moments — the more likely you are to retain people. Employees want to feel valued, heard, and enjoy their work environment, and that’s essential.
2. Increased employee happiness — When employees feel challenged, continuously learning, and engaged, and when leadership is accessible, they tend to be happier. They stay flexible, are motivated to work hard for the company, and are enthusiastic about contributing to its growth. Overall, they experience greater satisfaction in their daily work.
3. The enhancement of skill levels — By consistently focusing on Continuous Professional Development (CPD) with your team, you elevate their skills, which in turn positively affects business results. It’s a straightforward concept, but it holds true.
4. Enhanced teamwork — When individuals are focused on personal growth, it positively influences their team members. Happy employees foster a more collaborative and cohesive work environment. The emphasis on Continuous Professional Development (CPD) not only improves individual skills but also strengthens teamwork and collaboration. I’ve observed a significant impact from consistently investing in CPD initiatives, akin to nurturing plants for growth.
5. Advancing and developing the next generation of leadership — It’s undeniably lonely at the top, and it’s not sustainable to manage a business indefinitely without having strong leaders in place across various areas — be it marketing, sales, business development, client success, recruiting, operations, or project management.
How do you measure the success and ROI of these CPD initiatives?
The success and ROI of CPD initiatives are reflected in various aspects of a service business, underscoring the need for emerging leaders to make a significant impact. By continually developing and prioritizing CPD for the team, we enable the business to cultivate more leaders at the top. This shift can challenge traditional mindsets and introduce new ways of thinking and operating, fostering continuous evolution and supporting the business’s growth.
Looking forward, how do you see the role of CPD evolving in the next 5–10 years?
In the next five to ten years, I see CPD continuing to evolve. While CPD has always existed, it’s currently a prominent buzzword alongside leadership and career development. This intentional focus helps employers gain the benefits I mentioned, such as retaining top talent and enhancing the business’s bottom line. I don’t anticipate major changes in the concept itself, but I do believe that as we emphasize CPD more, employees will increasingly seek coaching and career development opportunities. Additionally, more employers will adopt progressive CPD practices, learning from others who are successfully advancing their team’s career development.
What advice would you give to business leaders who are hesitating to make these changes?
For business leaders hesitant to make these changes, my advice is to just go for it. Implementing these initiatives will significantly enhance retention and improve overall business results. It will require patience, intentional leadership, planning, and relationship-building, starting from the top. So, stop hesitating and take action.
Can you share any upcoming initiatives or plans you have for further investing in your employees?
An upcoming initiative for further investing in my employees will be our annual meeting where we challenge employees through breakout sessions, career development workshops, group discussions, and leadership training, among other activities. These comprehensive all-team meetings at the start of the year provide a solid foundation for prioritizing and setting goals.
How can our readers follow your work?
People can follow my work by Googling me, Kathleen Steffey or Google Naviga Recruiting & Executive Search. We are all over the place. We are on many social media platforms with LinkedIn being one of our strongest. You can learn from us that way.
This was great. Thank you so much for the time you spent sharing with us.
About the Interviewer: Chad Silverstein is a seasoned entrepreneur and Thought Leader with over 25 years of business experience. He has founded, operated, and exited multiple companies and now builds into a handful of high impact CEOs. Chad has launched multiple online communities, including a recent leadership development platform, and also serves as a strategic advisor for Authority Magazine’s thought-leader incubator program.
To learn more and connect with Chad visit: chadsilverstein.io
Investing In Your Employees: Kathleen Steffey Of Naviga Recruiting & Executive Search On The… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.