Cambridge Business Association
Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go
Book

Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go

Career Conversations Employees Want

Beverly Kaye and Julie Winkle Giulioni
Berrett-Koehler, 2012
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Editorial Rating

7

Qualities

  • Applicable

Recommendation

Today’s employees expect continuous learning and career growth. If they don’t receive the training they seek, they leave and their firms suffer. Organizational development consultants Beverly Kaye and Julie Winkle Giulioni show managers how to prioritize their staff members’ career development. The authors provide useful insights and offer lists of potential questions managers can ask to lead their employees through conversations based on “hindsight, foresight and insight.” Even though the book’s structure is choppy and the text relies on bulleted lists that hinder the flow, getAbstract recommends this concise manual. Managers and human resources professionals will find it helpful, as will those who are nurturing their own careers.

Summary

Taking Time for Career Development

Employees want to build their careers, so managers must find time for staff career development. Engaged employees help your company shorten production cycles and increase productivity, profitability and customer loyalty. When you don’t give your employees the training and opportunities they want, they leave or, even worse, they become disillusioned and disengaged; that is, they stay but just slog through their work. The solution is having the right conversations.

Today’s pressured managers have to make quarterly and yearly sales goals. They must streamline their budgets and maximize their resources. Thus, many find it hard to find time to speak with their staffers about their career trajectories. The best bosses schedule time for career development. Instead of seeing it as a nuisance or sideline, they regard it as “helping others grow.”

“Career Conversations”

Career development isn’t necessarily arduous. It doesn’t have to mean checking off to-do items on a methodical list. You must simply speak with your employees. Instead of hosting a detailed, two-hour evaluation meeting once a year, touch base with each employee ...

About the Authors

Beverly Kaye, co-founder of Career Systems International, wrote several books on career development and employee retention. Julie Winkle Giulioni, co-founder of the DesignArounds consultancy, has been a trainer, author and speaker for 25 years.

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    G. K. 4 years ago
    is good to know.
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    A. M. 1 decade ago
    This summary does give leaders ideas in engaging their employees to show they do care about the devleopment of their staff. These conversations are critical to the retention of high performers.
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    J. S. 1 decade ago
    aligns perfectly to our approach to Driving Performance - in the moment conversations which give feedback and build capability. I like the hindsight, foresight and the outcome of insight. Increasingly I think career development is like rock climbing so I will be using this analogy - a good read