Having career development conversations is a key part of the role of a line manager. Great organisations develop their teams to pursue their ambitions both in and outside of the organisation.
The WSB Competencies Framework can also be used as a tool to support these conversations in identifying specific areas or behaviours that an individual may want to focus on. But it is important that these career conversations take a wider and more holistic approach in unpacking and planning with an individual their career ambitions and aspirations.
Great career conversations:
- Enable staff to feel more satisfied in their current role, no matter their ambitions
- Empower staff to identify development opportunities and be proactive in taking steps that are mutually beneficial to them and the organisation.
- Facilitate greater retention or progression of people and teams.
These conversations should be two-way, open and honest. They should happen regularly, be mutually beneficial to the employee and the organisation and support the employee to actively develop their career goals and plans.
WSB Performance Cycle
The WSB performance cycle provides an official structure approach to monitoring and guiding an employees performance. Line managers and dotted lines are accountable for carrying out all the steps outlined in the process, including;
- The setting of goals
- Reflecting on organisational values
- Giving constructive feedback that helps individuals understand their progress
- Provide honest feedback when performance isn’t at the level it is expected/agreed to be, and discuss actions moving forward to process
These conversations, although sometimes difficult, help us remove barriers that may be standing in the way of an individual’s development to allow and drive a culture of continuous improvement. It shows team members that we care about their progress, their growth and that we value growing and nurturing the talent we have.
Expanding on the performance cycle requires line managers to be proactive and intentional with setting time and expectation for development conversations.
At WSB, this cycle aims to ensure that after the competency assessment, each person has two results: identification of at least one goal related to personal development and an action plan for the development of those identified competencies. As reference you can consult the articles Meaningful conversations during the Performance Review and Making the most of your competencies Assessment.
The GROW Model
As a line managers to coach you team members through conversations that support them to explore what they want and how they will get there instead set an individual’s career goals for them. It's the responsibility of your staff member to create a plan, and it's your responsibility to support them in achieving it. As such it is also important as part of these conversations that you, as a line manager have a clear understanding of where the organisation can support and where it cannot (i.e. available budget to support training etc) and that you are honest and realistic about the opportunities for learning, development and growth in the organisation.
As a structure for these conversations Line Managers should use the GROW coaching model (Goal, Reality, Options, Will) as a mechanism to guide the staff member in thier reflection and future vision into the WSB.
🎯 Goal: What do you want?
Establish what the team member really wants to achieve with their career. Encourage the team member to think as flexibly as possible. Is there more than one thing that they would find meaningful? Not all people desire vertical career development, so consider what would help them grow in their current role and continue to be motivated and engaged.
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Where do you see yourself in one, five, and ten years?
This question encourages people not only to consider their role titles but also what are the things/types of work they might be doing, as well the benefits and compensations they would want to achieve. -
How would you describe your ideal career?
Encourage your team member to think about people, activities, environment, issues, challenges and results. If money or your current skills weren’t an issue, what would be your dream role?
Invite your team member to imagine without limitations. This question helps uncover passions, untapped potential, and long-term aspirations that may not be visible in their current role or skill set.What are your interests, values, and motivations?
Use this question to spark a deeper reflection on what energises your team member, what they care about, and what drives them to do their best work. Understanding these elements can offer important insights into future roles or development pathways.What have been the best times at work for you in the last year? Why?
This question encourages your team member to reflect on real, positive experiences. It helps identify what kinds of tasks, environments or interactions contribute most to their satisfaction and engagement.What are the top three things you’d like to avoid in any role?
Encourage honest reflection on the types of work, dynamics or responsibilities that drain their energy or motivation. Knowing what to avoid is just as important as knowing what to pursue when planning a meaningful career path.
🎯 Reality: What’s happening now?
Establish the team member's understanding of their current role, skills, context, relationships and challenges. That help the individual to identify the gap between the current stage and the dream stage. Some sample questions to ask:
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What are the most rewarding or frustrating aspects of your current role?
This question encourages your team member to explore both the positive and challenging aspects of their current role. It helps identify what energises them and what may be limiting their engagement, opening the door for practical adjustments or development opportunities. What are some of the challenges you are facing currently?
Encourage openness about current difficulties. Understanding these challenges can help you as a manager identify barriers, offer coaching or resources, and explore whether a shift in responsibilities might help.What do you think would make your job more challenging?
Use this question to uncover growth opportunities. It helps your team member identify ways to stretch their capabilities and take on new challenges that align with their interests and ambitions.What areas of your work and role aren’t sufficiently challenging you?
Invite your team member to consider whether they feel underused. This can help identify untapped potential and ways to better align their talents with organisational needs.What feedback have you received from other people on your strengths and weaknesses?
This question promotes self-awareness and encourages your team member to reflect on external perspectives. It helps bring attention to patterns that may inform development priorities or career aspirations.What are the core skills and competencies that you often get positive feedback about?
Use this question to focus on strengths. Identifying what others see as their natural talents can help guide your team member toward roles and tasks where they can excel and feel fulfilled.What career choices and personal development progression have you already made?
This question encourages your team member to take stock of their journey so far. Reflecting on past decisions can offer valuable insights into their evolving interests, values, and areas of growth.
🎯 Options: What could you do?
Generate as many options as possible that help the team member close the gap from their goal to reality. You might need to challenge their perceptions on what is possible and encourage them to think bigger or more flexibly. Some sample questions to ask:
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What are the skills, competencies and experience that you need to develop based on your choice?
Invite your team member to reflect on the gap between where they are now and where they want to go. This can support more targeted development planning, aligned with their goals and interests. -
What can you do right now to further develop skills that would be useful in reaching that goal we talked about earlier?
This question helps translate career goals into immediate, practical actions. It encourages ownership and a proactive attitude, focusing on steps that can be taken without delay to build relevant skills. -
What assignments, big projects, or experiences could you pursue?
Invite your team member to think about opportunities that could stretch their skills, expose them to new areas, or deepen their current experience. These could be formal assignments or informal opportunities to take initiative. -
What networking or mentorship options are there that could benefit your career journey?
Encourage your team member to consider the value of relationships in their growth. This question opens the door to exploring mentorship, peer learning, or communities of practice as tools for professional development. -
What steps could you take to shape your career to spend more time using your strengths and on the things you enjoy working on?
This question invites reflection on how to align daily work with strengths and passions. It supports meaningful career design by identifying small or strategic changes that increase motivation and performance.
🎯 Will: What will you do?
Identify achievable steps to move from the current reality to the desired goal. Consider some quick wins that will help your staff member feel they are making progress with their plans. You should also discuss any barriers they may perceive in achieving those goals. Some sample questions to ask include:
What will you do? And by when?
Help your staff member reflect on concrete, realistic actions they can take, along with clear timeframes. This encourages accountability and forward momentum, making the next steps more tangible.What steps would you need to take to achieve clarity on the actions you need to take to achieve your career goals?
Support them in thinking through how they can define the path more clearly, sometimes the first step is gaining clarity on what steps to take, not just taking them.What resources would be useful? What skills will help you get there?
Invite them to consider the tools, learning opportunities or capabilities they might need to acquire or strengthen to make progress toward their goals.What are some of the enablers that could help catalyse your progress towards your goal?
Encourage reflection on the factors that could accelerate their progress, such as visibility, key projects, networking opportunities, or mentoring relationships.What are the barriers that you may face and what steps do you plan to take in order to overcome those barriers?
Help them anticipate potential challenges and begin to explore solutions or workarounds. This builds resilience and makes the career plan more actionable.What support do you need from me or others?
Reinforce your role and the wider organisation’s role as a partner in their development. This is a chance to ask what kind of encouragement, input or facilitation could make a difference.
Every conversation you have, every opportunity you open up, becomes a building block in the long-term development of your team and of our WSB. Let’s lead with purpose, listen with intention, and support our team members to shape careers they feel proud of.
Because when our One WSB grow, we all grow. 💟