You said, "As our executive survey pointed out, IT has to up its game around business acumen." -- finding the combination and balance of technology + business skills is a challenge, but developing existing IT staff into multifaceted practitioners requires more than training classes.

There's a dire need for what I call 'Digital Polymaths' - worldly individuals that are able to mentor those people who choose to upskill their IT capabilities and adapt to the demand for digital business transformation.

Mentoring is the next-step process of substantive knowledge transfer, where theoretical concepts are put into practice. We know from research, if you don't follow-up and practice what you learn in training classes, then you're unlikely to apply the lessons-learned and truly master the skill.

Therefore, mentoring strategies are very important to cultivate IT talent.