Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go: Career Conversations Employees Want by Beverly KayeMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
The book says - Study after study confirms that career development is the single most powerful tool managers have for driving retention, engagement, productivity, and results. and, In this book the authors talk about these benefits and various methods to discuss career development with employees.
There are several myths that managers believe. and, these myths stopped them from discussing career with the employees -
There is simply not enough time.
-- If I do not talk about it, they may not think about it, and the status quo will be safe. Employees always have growth on their minds, whether managers address it or not.
--Since employees need to own their careers, it is not my job. Managers have an essential role to play in helping and supporting others to take responsibility.
--Everyone wants more, bigger, or better: promotions, prestige, power. When asked what they want to get out of a career conversation with their managers, most employees are simply looking for ways to use their talents creatively.
-- Development efforts are best concentrated on high potentials, many of whom already have plans in place. Managers will usually see a significant return on the development they invest in their high potentials, but they only make up a small fraction of an organization's population. A small investment in the massive middle doing the bulk of the work could yield great results.
Remember :
-- People recognize and respond to genuine curiosity on the part of their leaders
-- Quality questions asked with a spirit of curiosity can facilitate conversations that will allow others to change their lives
-- Studies have shown that employees in every sector are starving for feedback
-- With the right support people can grow right where they are. Finding ways to grow talents, explore interests, and build capacity within the context of employees' current jobs is completely within a manager's sphere of influence
To Help achieve career goals of employees, a manager should facilitate exploration of three "sights" in an employee - Hindsight, Foresight, and Insight.
Hindsight- What is it that employees loved to do in the past?
Foresight- A big picture look at business and environment changes that can affect future
Insight -It's convergence of hindsight and foresight where manager and employee jointly determine the full range of ways to move forward and the actions to take to achieve career objectives.
Working with employees around hindsight and foresight helps to generate insight into the world of possibilities that exist for those who want to move forward and toward their career goals.
Managers should give hindsight information to the employees in the following area -
-- Technical skills - needed for day to day work
-- Soft skills - Communication, collaboration, teamwork, and networking.
-- A set of career intangibles - Continuous learning, resilience in the face of change, and a natural curiosity about the world and its endless possibilities.
Feedback :
Managers should encourage the employees to get feedback from others and while doing so they should focus only on following three things : ABC -
1. Abilities - Strengths, skills,
2. Blind spots - Any behaviors that might get in the way of an employee's success
3. Conditions - Environments where employee can make greatest contribution and factors that could trigger stress or other negative reactions.
Enjoyed !!! 5 Stars
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