It's one thing to be a human resources specialist, but it's also important to have a strategic perspective about your work. This perspective allows you not only to measure the performance of training and development in your organization, but to make sure it connects with and supports the organization's overall strategy.

The costs involved in training and development are easy to measure, monitor, and document, but the benefits can be difficult or even impossible to quantify. Most companies summarize their overall performance in terms of dollars in the annual report. The relevant intangibles - including human resources - are usually relegated to the footnotes. But, as we know, these intangible contributions play a significant role in value creation. It can be a major challenge to make these contributions tangible and include them in an organization's strategic considerations.