Engaging and empowering employees is crucial for organisational growth and success. One effective method to achieve this is through meaningful career conversations that go beyond performance evaluations and delve into employees’ aspirations, goals and challenges, as Antoinette Oglethorpe elaborates
By asking powerful, solution-focused questions, managers and leaders can create a supportive environment that engages employees, encourages growth and aligns individual aspirations with organisational objectives.
Here are six powerful career conversation questions that can help engage and empower your employees.
- What do you not want to change about your current work situation? This question helps employees reflect on the aspects they wish to keep constant in their career, such as location, child-care arrangements, organisational culture, or colleagues. By asking employees this question you help them reflect on these things from the outset. It helps them take note of any practical realities that shape their present situation and that they’re happy with.
- What would you like to be different? Asking this question encourages employees to focus on the aspects they want to change or improve in their current role or career situation. By actively listening to their responses, you can identify areas that can be improved within their current role, as well as other possible opportunities.
- What would be the benefit of that? Change is essential for career development, but individuals need to see personal benefits to embrace change. Asking about the benefits of making a change motivates employees by helping them envisage the positive outcomes. For example, it could be gaining new skills that lead to better team management, reduced stress, or personal growth. It might be even more personal than that. You might start with exploring the benefits to them personally and then move on to others – their team, their peers and even their family.
- Suppose you could wave a magic wand and develop your career in exactly the way you’d like to. What would you be doing? When employees try to articulate their long-term aspirations, they often constrain themselves by describing success by position or job title. In other words, they define their career goal along the lines of, “I want to be a (job title) by (date)” or, “I want to be promoted to a (grade) by (date).” These descriptions are not particularly helpful because they limit options and possibilities. This ‘magic wand’ question encourages employees to articulate their long-term aspirations beyond job titles or positions. By describing in detail how their life would be when they have achieved their ambitions, employees can explore various routes to get there. Understanding their aspirations helps you identify ways to support their development in their current role as well as aligning their interests with other opportunities.
- What skills, knowledge, experience and/or relationships do you need to develop? Asking employees about the skills or knowledge they need to acquire to progress towards their ideal role demonstrates your commitment to their professional development. By actively listening to their responses, you can help them identify areas for growth and offer training, mentoring, or stretch assignments that enable them to develop those skills. This question empowers employees by giving them a voice in shaping their career trajectory and fostering a culture of continuous learning.
- What steps will you take in the next 3 months to make progress? Taking the first step is usually the hardest part of the journey. Often, employees are not sure about the best actions to take to make progress. The temptation is to wait until the entire road map is available, or the timing is perfect, before they begin. That simply results in paralysis and procrastination. By asking this question you encourage employees to commit to do-able actions that will help them make progress, however small. This question also opens the door for a constructive dialogue about how you can support them. By asking about the support or feedback they require, you demonstrate your commitment to their success and well-being. By providing the necessary resources and support, you empower employees to take charge of their career path within the organisation, boosting their confidence and job satisfaction.
Meaningful career conversations have the power to engage and empower employees, leading to increased satisfaction, retention, and overall organisational success. By asking these six powerful career conversation questions, you can foster a culture of growth, alignment, and support within your organisation.
Remember, the key lies in actively listening, demonstrating empathy and taking concrete actions to support your employees’ aspirations and goals. When employees feel valued and empowered, they become more committed, productive, and loyal contributors to the organisation’s success.
Antoinette Oglethorpe is author of Confident career conversations: empower your employees for career growth and retention published by Rethink Press
