“Nothing endures but change”. This quote from Plato has never been truer as it is today! New knowledge and technologies, fluctuating economic conditions, shifting political realities, growing international interdependencies, global pandemics, the pressures of competition and the evolution of new cultural values and perspectives all impinge constantly on leaders and managers, learners, and organizations. 

As a result, our ways of working and the expectations business leaders have of learning and development have dramatically evolved, requiring practitioners in our field to constantly adapt and innovate. 

As such, learning professionals consistently face an ongoing dilemma: what do they hold on to that still holds true, what do they let go of and where do they move on to in order to meet todays and tomorrow’s learning needs? How do they ensure their work is as relevant as ever and maintain resilience in the process? 

When the first edition of “Love ‘Em or Lose ‘Em” came out, it was a mega hit. My co-author Sharon Jordan-Evans and I were thrilled. Then we started getting feedback from managers who said, “Your book is great, your training was great, but why is the responsibility always on our shoulders? What roles do the employees play in their own careers?” And we slapped our own foreheads, gob smacked by our stupidity and realized…they were right! We said - let’s put some of the responsibility for engagement into the heads and hearts of employees and help them understand how to get what they want at work without moving to new pastures.

A family is commonly defined as “a group of individuals united by blood, marriage or adoption…” But that same definition goes on to include individuals united by “other close association, contact or familiarity.” This may be why employees often refer to their work unit as “my work family” – and why their managers might do well to think of their employees as “my talent family.”

According to a study by Bev Kaye and the Best Practice Institute (BPI), nearly 60% of today’s employees dislike or are neutral about their workplace. That’s a startling statistic when you consider that employees who love their workplace are four times more likely to perform at higher levels than those who do not. Here are 26 simple and practical ways you can help create a workplace employees love and with a boss they love working for … you!

Your employees deserve to have meaningful work. Part of your management responsibility is to challenge them to find it rather than immediately searching for it elsewhere or simply leaning on you to read their minds and provide it. Encourage them to articulate what they want, while helping them to find it where they are. Read on for my tips.

Why do we ask great questions in exit interviews yet neglect to ask earlier when we can make a difference?

The best leaders do ask. They ask early and often. They listen carefully to the answers. And they collaborate with their talented people to help them get more of what they want, right where they are. Two decades ago, we coined the term “Stay Interview” to describe this conversation. We even wrote a book about it! Yet, when I suggested to clients that they ask employees about their goals, their talents, their fears, and their development needs, many looked at me with a blank stare. They simply didn’t know how to ask the questions. They wanted me to give them the words! They wanted me to provide them with a script, a cheat sheet. So, I did. Read on for my tips.

Like plants, many employees grow naturally on their own, but some require human intervention. When it comes to career development, I firmly believe that employees own their own careers. However, this does not exclude managers from taking part in the process. In fact, career coaching is one of the best ways for business owners and managers to retain mission-critical employees year after year.

When it comes to the manager’s role in development, talk is actually the most precious and results-driving commodity you have to share. Reams of research strongly suggest that a key predictor of organizational success is management’s ability to demonstrate that they are not only listening to but actually hearing an employee’s career goals and related development needs.

How many key performers have you lost because you hadn’t really internalized their goals, concerns, and values? Are there valued contributors in your organization who would trade you in for a manager who says, “Tell me your career goals and I’ll tell you how I’m going to help you realize them.” If you don’t know the answer to these questions, this blog post is for you.

Over decades of studying careers around the globe, I’ve learned that career mobility can mean growing, stretching, learning, and transforming without ever changing job titles or cubicles. Career mobility is the responsibility of each individual to define and to live out. And it’s up to you as their manager to ensure your employees understand that there are more directions to move than “up.” It’s one of management’s greatest challenges, but it is doable. And it’s a critical part of your job, especially if you want them to stay and continue to grow with you. To prepare for addressing the Suspension Dimension, read my tips in this article.

Were you one of the thousands of HR leaders or business owners and managers who fell victim to the Chicken Little Syndrome of 2020? You remember “Chicken Little,” that old folk tale about an acorn that falls on a little chicken’s head, convincing her that the sky must be falling.

Did The Great Resignation acorn land on your head, causing you to jump to catastrophic retention fears and conclusions? If so, did they paralyze you or galvanize you? Because you did have a choice – and still do! In fact, most data suggests that the Great Resignation is not over. And I submit that it never will be. Why? Because employees will always be tempted to leave for those greener pastures they always hear about. The situation was not hopeless in 2020 and it won’t be in 2023 either! Yes, there will be some bad news, but there is also a lot of very good news! Let’s take a look at this news.

What keeps you at your current job? What inspires you in your work? Conversely, what is pushing you to head for new frontiers or an entirely new direction in your career? If you need tips for managing your career during the Great Resignation, watch this interview of me with Dorie Clark from Newsweek’s “Better.”

What Our Dogs Teach Us About Love and Work

Since the pandemic, remote work and ensuing self-management have diminished the perceived need for and relevance of authoritarian bosses – even of bosses generally.

Stockpiling your all-stars isn’t smart—it’s short-sighted. You should be sharing the wealth instead.

What are the traits that define the high-bred leader – the one who is capable of building and maintaining a hybrid workforce?

“Silent gratitude isn’t much use to anyone.” - Gladys Bronwyn Stern