Retain your talent with a proactive approach to employee development, one conversation at a time
When employees are happy at work, the energy and creativity they possess is virtually limitless. But many leaders are ill-equipped to discuss and gauge the career satisfaction of their employees, and risk losing their talent to their competitors. Career Conversations is your guide to developing the skills needed for effective career discussions with your staff, providing step-by-step instructions on how to incorporate this capability into your leadership routine.
It has never been easier for employees to seek other job opportunities. Search firms and online platforms such as LinkedIn make the danger of the competition poaching your best employees all too real. To take active, dynamic and genuine interest in their employee’s career satisfaction and development, leaders require the skills and knowledge to have ongoing career conversations.
Packed full of case studies, practical exercises and key insights, career development expert Greg Smith explains how leaders can guide their employees to achieve career satisfaction by taking an active, dynamic and ongoing interest in their development.
- engage with employees on career aspirations
- listen critically and build trust
- help employees reinvent themselves for the future of work
- gain self-insight and become a more effective leader
- empathise and respond to your staff’s needs.
Career Conversations is a must-read for current and aspiring organisational leaders, Human Resource directors, HR practitioners, senior executives, supervisors, managers and business owners. This book will help you guide your employees through their careers and, in turn, help your company thrive.
Table of Contents
About the author ix
Preface xi
Introduction xiii
1 The case for proactive career development 1
Why leaders should be aware of the future of work and its impact on jobs and careers, and what leaders can do to prepare for this future
2 Reimagining careers 15
How leadership, creativity, research and analysis, together with transferable skills, can help employees reinvent themselves to align with the changing world of work
3 Fit your own mask first 25
Why self-knowledge is so important for progressive leaders seeking to help employees with their careers
4 Building career self-insight 37
How to develop self-insight for career development applications (including easy and quick practical exercises)
5 What’s your personal brand? 65
Why personal branding matters (with practical tips for successful and effective personal brand management)
6 The goal of goal setting 77
How leaders can help employees to define career goals and maintain their focus on them
7 Who motivates the motivator? 87
Untangling truths and myths of motivation to understand the involvement of our inner drivers in our pursuit of career goals
8 The skilled listener 101
How leaders can use the critical skill of deep listening in career conversations (including why this leadership capability should be continually developed)
9 Facilitating communication techniques 109
Why leaders should choose their words carefully (including the benefits of a growth mindset and how leaders can reframe their communications for better career conversations)
10 Structuring unstructured conversations 123
Why structuring unstructured career conversations works
11 Leading a career conversation 145
How to start and lead career conversations (some useful tips)
12 Ethics and protocols for career development 153
Ethical considerations and essential protocols for conducting career development conversations
13 Now you’re ready to hold career conversations! 163
A recap of learnings, and why written career plans are essential for career success (including a useful template to follow)
References and further reading 171
For leaders interested in further building their knowledge and capability in effective, self-directed career development support
Index 177
