Step 3: Discuss Trends

Help your employees consider their options by encouraging them to look beyond your department, to detect shifts and changes that might impact their careers. Think about your company’s growth areas and limitations as well as emerging skills the industry will require. Share this information with your employees. Helping your employees see what’s down the road is a sign of respect, even if it isn’t all good news.

Alas

Lenore was exactly what our organization needed. She was young and wanted to use her technical as well as managerial skills, wanted to develop business, and in fact had already brought some in. She decided to look for a new job when she heard that there were some changes coming in our organization, and she realized she didn’t know what would happen to her. She said that her first manager was great at coaching and keeping her in the loop, but that she had recently been moved to work for another manager who had shown no interest in her career. So with the threat of impending change, and a manager who didn’t seem to care, she took an offer at a small start-up company. She was clear that it was not the salary and benefits that drew her. It was the hope of a better manager, one who would keep her “in the loop” and care about her career. The exit interview lasted 90 minutes. I asked her if she would reconsider. She declined.

—Human resources manager

Clearly, a good career conversation with her new manager could have influenced Lenore’s decision to look for other opportunities.

To Do

Ask yourself if your employees know what the trends are in these areas:

The major economic, political, technological and social changes taking place that will have the greatest effect on your organization

The opportunities and problems ahead

The areas changing the most in your industry

How their profession will be different in the next two to five years

What really counts for success in your organization

Which websites, trade publications, journals, and organization newsletters provide information on industry and business trends

What new opportunities are available (e.g., international assignments, new businesses opening within the organization)

You don’t have to take this all on your own shoulders. For example, you could have each person on your team research one of these areas and bring it to the next staff meeting for discussion. But you do have to ensure that your employees know what’s going on in your organization. By suggesting others who can provide additional perspectives on these and other issues, you open channels for your employees and give them a closer look at the key business needs of the organization. Have you done this lately?

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