From 'Nice to Have' to 'Must Have': Building Bulletproof Business Cases for Talent Development

Talent development professionals often struggle to secure funding and executive support for critical initiatives, not because their programs lack value, but because they fail to translate that value into business language that resonates with decision-makers.

This session will equip participants with a proven framework for building compelling business cases that connect talent development directly to organizational strategy and measurable business outcomes. Working in small groups with peers, participants will apply the framework to build business cases for their current initiatives in the session.

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Identify the True Business Problem: Move beyond symptom-level requests ("we need manager training") to uncover the underlying business challenges that talent development can solve.
2. Speak Executive Language: Translate talent development benefits into metrics that matter to C-suite decision-makers: revenue impact, cost reduction, risk mitigation, and competitive advantage.
3. Build Strategic Alignment: Position talent initiatives as enablers of business strategy rather than standalone HR programs, ensuring sustainable funding and support.

About Jahnavi Brenner

Jahnavi Brenner is a speaker, executive coach, facilitator and CEO of The Vivid Leader, a boutique coaching and talent development & culture consultancy firm.   Her team at the Vivid Leader works with organizations to build resilient "follow anywhere" leaders and award winning workplace cultures.   The Vivid Leader supports organizations with 1-1 and team coaching, leadership development, mentorship and sponsorship programs, and consulting services.  Their practical, innovative solutions benefit from her experience as an HR leader as well as her personal experience being a manager and individual contributor in Fortune 50 organizations to emerging startups.

Jahnavi has 25 years of corporate experience in R&D, Sales, and Human Resources. She has developed leaders at Procter & Gamble, Rally Software, DigitalGlobe, Medtronic, and more.  Jahnavi holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a MS in Management and Organization from the University of Colorado, Denver. 

Jahnavi is an active learner and continues to develop herself in leadership, organizational effectiveness, and human behavior.  She is active on the board of Rocky Mountain Equality and the University of Colorado Denver Business School Advisory Board.  She also advises Naturally Colorado on their startup founder mentoring program.