How to have radically candid career conversations to retain your team
https://www.radicalcandor.com/how-to-have-career-conversations/
Each individual person is on their own growth trajectory. Career Conversations will guide you through career planning with your direct reports so you can learn what is important to them, understand where they want to go and work collaboratively with them to build the best possible plan of action to benefit each individual person as well as the team as a whole.
To ensure the Career Conversations you have are both rewarding and effective, Radical Candor recommends a structure for a series of conversations between managers and direct reports created by Russ Laraway, VP of people operations at Qualtrics, who developed a particularly effective approach for having Career Conversations during a difficult period at Google.
“Career Conversations are exactly what they sound like — discussions about someone’s career with an emphasis on their long-term career aspirations. When done well, these should connect a person’s past – gaining a detailed understanding of who they are and what motivates them at work through their life story — with their future — the wildest dreams they have for themselves at the pinnacle of their career,” Laraway says.
Start with the Past – Life Story
The first step is understanding people’s motivations and values, the things that drive them. It’s amazing what you can learn from a person’s life story if you pay close attention to, and ask about, their major pivots and transitions. Why did they make those choices? What did those transitions teach them about what they love and hate about their work?
Talk about the Future – Dreams
Step two is understanding where people want to be at the pinnacle of their careers. While some bosses are skeptical that younger workers know what they want to be when they grow up, everyone has dreams, and you just have to help people make them a little more tangible. Other managers worry about asking their reports to hone in on a single vision too early in their careers.
Plan for the Present – Career Action Plan
With an understanding of the past and the future, you can now create a relevant and thoughtful action plan with clear owners and clear timelines. (Listen to Career Conversations on the Radical Candor podcast.)