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Where is your company going? Human resource teams likely know their strategic direction and company mission, but they might be putting gas in the wrong tank when it comes to arriving at their final destination \u2013 successful strategy execution. \nOrganizations spend big bucks on corporate training each year so that employees are equipped to perform their jobs and a pipeline is set up to gracefully guide a company through role changes. However, organizations mistakenly invest in the wrong areas, according to Heide Abelli, Skillsoft Vice President of Leadership and Business Skills. \nInstead of aligning training programs with the company\u2019s strategic direction and including employees at every level of learning, Abelli says organizations exclusively look to top-level leaders to direct its strategies. \nSuccessful skills training is all about priorities. Strategic agendas are driven from the middle and lower organizational levels, so Abelli believes those workers should be among the first to learn new skills. \nSupported by research by Don Sull at MIT\u2019s Sloan School, the lack of talent with proper skill sets is the top reason why companies don\u2019t make the most of new opportunities. For example, Abelli says a healthcare organization facing significant cost pressure can link a strategic objective to a gap in skills by expediting service delivery processes and improving patient experience strategic priorities. \n\u201cWithout adequate training, they just aren\u2019t equipped to connect the dots,\u201d Abelli says. \u201cToo many training initiatives rest on the idea assumption that one size fits all.\u201d\nTo take the right route, an organization must fully understand its market, know how it stands out among competitors and how to protect its comprehensive advantages. \n\u201cIt\u2019s about focus and making tradeoffs,\u201d Abelli says. \u201cWhat you choose to forego with respect to a training agenda is just as important as what you choose to emphasize."