With the best of intentions, we often engage young staff in conversations about their career future. One one hand, this is a good thing because we want to support their professional development. On the other, it is probably unrealistic for staff who are just a couple years out of college to have a clear career path. Or if they do, it may turn out to be inaccurate. Authors … [Read more...] about Career Mentoring for Young Staff
talent development
Managing “C” Players
You’d like to ignore them or just resign yourself to the idea that there is nothing much you can do, but one of your important responsibilities as a leader/manager is to address the “C” players you have on your team. If you don’t, you risk alienating your “A” players who want to be on a high performing team and tempting your “B” players to underperform. A recent article in … [Read more...] about Managing “C” Players
Building Your Bench
Staff turnover is a fact of life – as much as you might want to use your wishful thinking to make it go away. Once you have accepted that fact of life – now it is time to prepare for it. Here are some things you can do to be prepared to successfully navigate the departure of key staff: *Identify possible successors – internally and externally. Even if your organization … [Read more...] about Building Your Bench
Thanks for the Feedback (Or Not)
We know that receiving valid feedback for improvement on our performance and then acting on it is a helpful way to continue our professional development. However, it is all easier said than done. This is one of the helpful themes of the book Thanks for the Feedback: The Science and Art of Receiving Feedback Well (even when it is off base, unfair, poorly delivered, and, … [Read more...] about Thanks for the Feedback (Or Not)
Succession Preparation vs Planning
“We need a succession plan.” I hear this from CEOs and, more often, Board members who are concerned about CEO retirement or departure. While this is a healthy thing to think about, I suggest that you need “succession preparation” more than you need “succession planning.” In large corporations, succession planning is about identifying, developing, and evaluating potential … [Read more...] about Succession Preparation vs Planning