Building the Organizational Habit of Career Development

This guest blog post by Julie Winkle Giulioni celebrates the September 18 launch of her book with Beverly Kaye, Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go: Career Conversations Employees Want.  Julie has spent the past 25 years improving performance through learning. She consults with organizations to develop and deploy innovative instructional designs and training worldwide. You can learn more about Julie’s consulting, speaking, and blog at juliewinklegiulioni.com.

Let’s be honest. Engaging in career conversations is not that hard. It’s inherently simple to talk with other people about what they’re good at, what they’re interested in, and where they see themselves going. It’s good for business to understand and leverage the capacity of all employees. It builds trust, loyalty, and engagement... which in turn deliver a range of bottom-line results.

Let’s be even more honest. If what’s most precious to a leader was hanging in the balance, he/she could likely engage in career conversations. Granted, some skill is involved; but just average interpersonal skills are enough for a leader to have a decent talk with an employee... if they are motivated to do so.

Let’s be painfully honest. Helping leaders actually conduct career conversations may not be a training issue. Additional tips and techniques aren’t necessarily the answer. What’s required, instead of building individual skill, is building organizational habit. Genuine, sustainable career development is present in organizations that cultivate a culture rich with conversation about careers. And it all comes down to new habits.

Organizational habits are built when two equally important dimensions are present:

1. Sustained individual behavior change; and
2. Relevant and reasonable accountability systems.

 Sustained Individual Behavior Change

 Learning new skills is the easy part. What’s more challenging is to put those behaviors, strategies, or techniques into practice on a regular enough basis so that they become automatic. As long as leaders have to think too hard about a task, it feels like an ‘extra’ that’s difficult to fit into an already full dance card. But, do it enough so that...

• Career conversation cues in the workplace are on the radar screen of the sub-conscious
• Insightful questions just slide off the tongue effortlessly
• Seeing how to connect someone’s talents and interests to pressing business needs becomes an unconscious competency

 ...and you have behavior change that will last.

 Relevant and Reasonable Accountability Systems

Sustained behavior change is considerably more possible when leaders are motivated to pay attention long enough for key behaviors to become so comfortable. That’s the only way they become part of the leader’s natural repertoire. But attention in the short term is required. And nothing inspires attention more than accountability.

When organizations implement systems that draw attention to important skills or behaviors, leaders listen. Whether it involves setting expectations, instituting measures and metrics, targeted coaching, or elevating visibility in other ways, these systems support the focus and provide the reinforcement required for sustained behavior change.

The key is identifying systems that are relevant. They need to draw attention directly to the behavior, skill, or outcomes required. They also must be reasonable - not requiring new departments, another headcount, or superfluous activity streams. Most organizations already have more than enough systems in place; it’s just a matter of leveraging or piggybacking on what already exists.

 Don’t Kick - Rather Kindle - the Habit

So, if you’re serious about building a culture that’s rich with conversation about careers, kindle the organizational habit. Rather than more training, help leaders:

• Activate the skills they already have
• Support them in changing key behaviors over the long-haul
• Implement (or leveraging) relevant and reasonable systems that draw attention and accountability to the behavior

Is it worth the effort? Absolutely! Since good habits are just as hard to break as bad ones, you’ll get to enjoy the fruits of your labor for some time to come. 

Comments

[Julie_WG]

Thank you, Steve, for the opportunity to connect with your community here!

[Aohanian]

Steve, you should get Julie to blog more often! It’s true that very few organizations will support learning for its own sake in contrast to organizations that support learning because it has the right culture. From the training department’s point of view that absolutely means we have to kindle the habit of supporting personal development. But there’s also a role here for leaders. They need to challenge employees to do their best and then support them in their road to success. In this approach to work, learning is a natural part of achieving your goals rather than something that is grafted on.

[Lynn Ferguson-Pinet]

Great post and I really agree with the point of, we need to figure out how to make things work in the natural flow of things because if we keep asking people to do more things, we are fighting a losing battle. Getting at the core motivation is incredibly important. Thanks for the post!
Lynn

[Steve Roesler]

Aohanian

I'm sure Julie is tickled to hear that; her work in career development is captured in her new book "Help Them Grow Or Watch Them Go. . ."

This would be a good addition to every manager's library.

[Steve Roesler]

Hello, Lynn

"Getting at the core of motivation" is probably the most accurate job description and key skill for every person in any leadership role, regardless of the type of organization. Those who pursue and master it are those who look over their shoulder and find that people are following them.

Thanks for weighing in.

[Jedi]

Thank you Steve for the wonderful post. Most employees will be glad knowing that their employers care for them and their opinions. It makes them feel important. This tactic is beneficial in achieving success in the business since the owner and employees are united. Employers can also use the Success Insights DISC profiling tool to enhance his knowledge of interacting with his employees.