Gallup has discovered that one of the most important factors when creating a high-performance workplace is ensuring there is a high-development culture that values the growth of individuals. Those businesses that make strategic investments in employee development are twice as likely to retain their employees.

To create a high development culture you need to add learning programs and development plans to the roster. This can be achieved by following these four strategies that set the highest-performing workplaces apart:

1. Protecting their investment in employee development while focusing on increasing employee engagement.

Business leaders often fear that they will invest time into developing their employees’ only to have them walk away. Although this does happen, the best way to prevent this from happening is through employee engagement. If employees are not engaged in their work and committed to the company, then there is a higher chance that they won’t stay with an organization or perform at their best.

2. They avoid the most common misunderstanding about development.

Most often companies define growth and development with promotions. Although this is a good incentive and reward, it doesn’t always have to be. The employees who are really good at what they are doing, don’t necessarily always expect a promotion as much as they want to grow. Allowing employees to understand themselves and develop their strengths is what is important.

3. Their managers are highly involved in the development of individuals—they act as coaches, not bosses.

Employees see their managers closer than the HR or leadership in their daily activities, so it is more likely that they understand how to develop employees and engage with them. Employees are more likely to learn and grow when the receive immediate feedback that is specific to them; because of this, managers become the perfect people to coach their employees.

4. Their leadership owns the culture change (not HR alone).

The fundamental driver of culture change is commitment from leadership to high-performance workplace practices. When the C-level officers model a focus on development, managers and employees will begin to mimic that focus and apply it to themselves. This behavior change is crucial to making culture change stick.

The best employees will always seek development. High achieving employees continuously seek purpose and development, they always want to grow and be better. If they are engaged in your at your company and you provide growth and development opportunities, they won’t have a reason to leave and you will have the highest talent.