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The beginning of a new year brings a unique opportunity for leaders and their teams. One of the main roles of a leader is to help their team develop and articulate long-term career plans. Interestingly, the Hays 2020 Salary Guide shows that lack of clarity about career development was a top reason why staff would consider leaving their current role.

By having open conversations, leaders equip their teams to have deeper conversations about their next role or project thus, improving employee engagement and retention. Here are some key reasons why it’s crucial for leaders to review their approach and begin initiating more forward-looking career conversations with their team.

Help staff adopt a growth mindset
Adopting a growth mindset is crucial to career success. It’s important for staff to understand that learning is an on-going journey. Once this is recognized as a possibility, staff will increase efforts and commitment to the organization

Drive motivation and loyalty
When leaders take an active interest in their team members’ career aspirations, it demonstrates that they genuinely care for their team’s success and are invested in their development. Don’t underestimate the power of encouragement as it can greatly motivate staff to excel and potentially reveal hidden skills.

Aid and inform future succession planning
Leaders should continuously work towards the development of staff members into key roles before they are needed to help minimize the disruption of a sudden vacancy. Through open career conversations, leaders will want to identify unknown skills of their team members that will be beneficial in the event of another member leaving. Consider ways to upskill staff, such as inviting members to work on other projects or delegating new responsibilities to them.

The world of work is evolving at an unprecedented rate and the key to navigating this change successfully is open-mindedness, honesty and planning. As leaders start to feel more comfortable talking candidly with their teams about their career ambitions, they will be better equipped to plan for long-term success.

For more advice on how to increase employee satisfaction, download our 2020 Hiring Trends & Salary Guide.