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.