How the Inner Development Goals become trainable behaviors
Education
IDGs
Soft Skills
The Inner Development Goals (IDGs) have given powerful language to what many of us have intuitively felt: that inner capacities—like self-awareness, empathy, and courageous action—are critical for facing today’s societal and organizational challenges. Yet while the IDGs offer an inspiring framework, many organizations still struggle with one essential question: How do we actually develop these capacities in people? At DialogueTrainer, we believe the answer lies in behavior—and behavior is trainable.
The misconception: Soft Skills are abstract
Soft skills are often seen as too abstract or “fluffy” to train. They’re discussed in keynotes, reflected on in coaching sessions, and included in competency lists—but rarely practiced in ways that mirror real-world complexity. The risk here is that development becomes insight-heavy but behavior-light. People may understand what “presence” or “empathy” means, but without practice, they lack the reflexes to apply it under pressure. The IDGs give us a compelling vocabulary, but what’s needed is a way to operationalize those concepts into experience-based learning.
From insight to action: why behavior Is the bridge
At DialogueTrainer, we treat the IDGs not as abstract ideals, but as categories of observable behavior. This perspective makes them actionable. For example:
- Relating becomes learning how to respond openly to disagreement.
- Being shows up in how someone pauses before reacting.
- Acting emerges in ethical choices under time pressure.
These are moments that can be practiced, reflected upon, and improved over time. Using principles from behavioral science (developed with Utrecht University), we create interactive simulations where professionals encounter realistic scenarios that trigger these capacities. They receive direct, actionable feedback—not only on their choices, but on their intent, tone, timing, and ability to adapt. This builds awareness, confidence, and ultimately: behavioral flexibility.
Real-world example: practice over performance
Consider an employee who has difficulty giving feedback to a colleague. In a DialogueTrainer simulation, they practice that conversation. They receive immediate feedback—not only about whether their message was “correct,” but whether it was empathetic, constructive, and courageous. Over multiple sessions, they begin to:
- Recognize their own automatic reactions
- Experiment with new approaches
- Experience what works—and what doesn’t—without real-world consequences
By framing soft skills as skills that require deliberate practice, we remove the mystique and create growth that sticks.
Our perspective
The IDGs give structure and recognition to a field we’ve been working in for years: developing meaningful interpersonal behavior. What’s exciting is how these goals align with the practical, behavioral approach we use. We now have a common language for both the why and the how of development.
- Michiel Hulsbergen, CEO at DialogueTrainer
Takeaways
- The IDGs provide a shared, future-proof vocabulary for human growth.
- Turning inner goals into trainable behavior makes development practical and measurable.
- Interactive simulations allow for safe practice and real-time learning.
- Soft skills can be developed with the same structure and rigor as hard skills — if we treat them as behavior, not traits.
Interested in translating values into action?
Let’s talk. We’d love to show you how we make the IDGs trainable in your context.
