How can you create an environment that fosters honest communication in career development meetings?

1 Prepare in advance

Before you schedule a career development meeting, make sure you have a clear agenda and purpose for it. Review your employee's performance, achievements, challenges, and feedback from other sources. Identify the main topics you want to discuss, such as their skills, interests, career path, expectations, and opportunities. Prepare some open-ended questions that invite them to reflect and share their perspectives. Also, inform your employee about the meeting's objectives and format, and ask them to prepare some questions or comments for you as well.

3 Explore their goals and needs

One of the main purposes of a career development meeting is to help your employee identify and pursue their goals and needs. To do this, you need to explore their motivations, aspirations, values, and preferences. Ask them what they enjoy and dislike about their current role, what they want to learn or improve, what kind of challenges or opportunities they are looking for, and what their long-term vision is. Help them align their goals with the organization's mission and values, and offer them guidance and support to achieve them.

5 Agree on an action plan

The last step of a career development meeting is to agree on an action plan with your employee. This plan should outline the specific steps they will take to achieve their goals, the resources and support they will need, the timeline and milestones they will follow, and the criteria and methods they will use to measure their progress and success. Make sure the action plan is SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Review the action plan with your employee, and ask them to confirm their understanding and commitment. Also, schedule a follow-up meeting to monitor and evaluate their results.