Articles

Plenty of Room to Grow --  by Beverly Kaye and Lindy Williams, HRO Today, August 2018. (link) Moving up isn’t the only way to achieve successful career development.

Career Development's (R)Evolution -- by Beverly Kaye and Lindy Williams, TD Magazine, July 2018. (pdf) From its original role as a method of finding the right job, career development has evolved into a process for professional growth that encompasses the wide range of experiences that ultimately form an individual’s life’s work.

The Power of Pause – by Beverly Kaye and Beverly Crowell, Talent Quarterly, May 2017 (pdf)
Women represent about half of the nation’s workforce yet still make about 83 percent of men’s median wages, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. They’re also underrepresented in the c-suites and boards across nearly every industry. In other words, women are working just as hard but aren’t seeing the full benefit of their efforts.

Make the Interview Last – by Beverly Kaye and Julie Winkle Giulioni, Talent Management, July/August 2016 (pdf)
Talent managers should continue to question employees long after the initial interview to help ensure they’re happy and productive.

How to Become a Talent Magnet – by Beverly Kaye and Sharon Jordan-Evans, Talent Management, May 18, 2016 (pdf)
Wise leaders build engagement by becoming magnets for high-performing talent.

Leading With Development – by Beverly Crowell and Beverly Kaye, Talent Quarterly, Issue 9, 2016 (link to purchase)
Why are so many employees packing up and moving on? According to research by Career Systems International, the very thing that is most often compelling them to stay is the one thing well within the power of the organization and its leaders. Employees want opportunities to learn, grow and develop. Crowell and Kaye show how a supportive manager and great boss are the essential ingredients in high engagement.

It’s Time to Prioritize Career Development – by Julie Winkle Giulioni and Beverly Kaye, Talent Management, April 2016 (link)
Given the nature of today’s workplace, there are a number of things pulling at business leaders’ attention on any given day. Instantaneous access to information coupled with pressure to consistently meet the ever-escalating expectations of customers and shareholders offers fuel countless priorities and to-dos everyday. But there’s one priority that might serve leaders better than any other and drive sustainable business results: career development.

The Leader’s Role in Talent Development: Conversations to engage, develop, and retain – by Beverly Crowell and Beverly Kaye, Talent Management Excellence Essentials, January 2016 (link)
Talk is cheap … or so the saying goes. But when it comes to what matters most to employees today, talk is one of the most valued commodities organizations have to offer and what most employees want from their leaders.

Career Paths to Patterns – by Beverly Kaye and Lindy Williams, Talent Management Magazine, December 2015 (pdf)
Planning a career in today’s business environment requires a different way of thinking.

Organizations and Managers Must Reassess How They View Career Development – by Wendy Tan Siew Inn and Beverly Crowell, TD, September 2015 (pdf)
With the speed of change sweeping through business environments, organizations increasingly need to adopt a more flexible mindset that empowers employees for career self-management. If accelerating skill development and building the talent pipeline is important, then this new mindset is critical as well.

Earning Acclaim for Stealth Development – by Beverly Kaye and Julie Winkle Giulioni, Talent Management, August 2015 (pdf)
Weaving career development into work flow makes for an organic and powerful tool for talent managers. But becoming too stealthy risks the effort going unnoticed.

Manager as Career Coach: Career Development in Organisations – by Wendy Tan, Singapore Business Review, April 30, 2015 (link)
Career development is one of the top engagement and retention driver for all generations. This is even more so for Gen Y and Millenial workers, who are direct about their career plans and eager to try out new and interesting challenges. If employees don’t have career conversations with their managers, then they are likely to do it outside, with headhunters.

Redeveloping the Individual Development Plan – by Beverly Kaye and Julie Winkle Giulioni, Talent Management, October 31, 2014 (pdf)
Individual development plans, or IDPs, have become a staple for managers and human resources professionals alike. But the development activity is often steeped in a systematic approach — forms, deadlines, sign-offs and processes — that ultimately dilutes the value it brings to the individual employee. In a similar vein, the stress of following the IDP process and hitting the associated deadlines often leaves managers overstressed.

PEP Buoys – Beverly Crowell and Beverly Kaye, Workforce, June 2014 (pdf)
Successful and satisfied people have one thing in common: PEP, as in personal, energy and professional vision — a clear sense of what one wants to accomplish in life and work.

How to Make Time for Career Conversations – by Julie Winkle Giulioni and Beverly Kaye, Talent Management, May 8, 2014 (link)
Having talent development conversations cannot be considered an activity. It’s a mindset that permeates a manager’s approach to work.

Talk is Not Cheap – by Julie Winkle Giulioni and Beverly Kaye, Talent Management, May 8, 2014 (link)
When it comes to the manager’s role in development, talk is the most precious and results-driving commodity you have to share.

Development Plans: Take the Groan Out of IDPs – by Beverly Kaye and Beverly Crowell, Leadership Excellence Essentials, February 2014 (pdf)
The idea of holding IDP discussions between managers and direct reports isn’t new. These discussions were once held as part of the performance management process, or separated out. Often these conversations weren’t taken seriously unless they were used to surface high-potential talent or weed out unsatisfactory workers. The process was frequently ignored by most workers-the massive middle. In fact, many managers and employees groan and grumble about the IDP process. Is it that time of the year again? IDP’s can seem like a huge waste of time.

Let’s Talk Talent by Beverly Crowell – HR.com, December 19, 2013 (link)
Today, more than ever, people are asking their companies, “Can I see my future in your future?” See it, they stay. Don’t? They’re gone. Whether they quit and leave or quit and stay, growth and development is the single, biggest driver of employee engagement.

More than just ‘climbing the ladder‘ – Canadian HR Reporter, December 2, 2013 (link)

Executive Interview with Dr. Beverly Kaye – IHRIM Workforce Solutions Review, October/November 2013 (PDF)

A Leader’s ‘Crashless’ Course: Helping Employees Drive Career Development – Training Industry Quarterly, Summer 2013 (PDF)
We need to reframe the roles that managers and employees must play to make career development fit within today’s workplace.

Find Out What is the Ultimate Productivity Booster for Singaporeans – Singapore Business Review, May 2013 (link)
Wendy Tan builds a case that career development is the ultimate productivity booster.

Curiosity: The Gateway Competency – Chief Learning Officer, January 2013 (PDF)
Curiosity can be cultivated and developed like any other competency. There are six key practices that promote curious behaviors.

Manager Involvement in Career Development  – Focus, Professional Journal of SPBT, Winter 2013 (PDF)
Now, more than ever, employees want opportunities to learn, grow and develop. Get stingy with those opportunities and you may see employees leave – physically or psychologically.

IDP: Individual Development Plan or Impediment to Dialogue and Progress? – People & Strategy, the Professional Journal of HRPS (PDF)
Business is about getting results, closing sales, bringing in new clients and balancing books.

Career Conversations: It’s Today’s Common Sense Competency – Leadership Excellence, November 2012 (PDF)
Leaders read the headlines. They know about the survey data. The linkages between career development and productivity gains, expense reduction, quality improvements, innovation, and bottom-line results are obvious.

Cultivating Careers through Curiosity – Talent Management, November 2012 (PDF)
There’s a lot of talk about conversation in business today, and everyone has a favorite type. Some like it fierce; others prefer crucial.

Brand Your Organization as a Development Culture – Chief Learning Officer, October 2012 (PDF)
An established brand built around continuous learning can be a marketplace differentiator for potential recruits.

How “Helpful” Systems Extinguish Career Development (and What You Can Do to Reignite It) – 800CEOREAD ChangeThis (PDF)
Career development appears at the top of many lists. Unfortunately, the lists tend to be those focused on what employees desperately want but are not getting from their managers.

Hang on to Them! – New York Post, October 2012
Experts say that bosses must help employees climb the corporate ladder or face losing their best and brightest assets.

The Woman With the Hammer – The Huffington Post, October 2012 (PDF)
A lot of what makes work engaging and doable for people who have lives outside of work comes down to good communication. This article highlights Beverly Kaye’s keynote at the Working Mother Work Life Congress.

Moving Beyond the “Move” Mentality – Mamu Media, Sept/Oct 2012 (PDF)
Managers and supervisors everywhere are declaring career development a casualty of today’s business and economic landscape.

What Career Conversations Do Employees Want? – Fast Company, September 2012 (PDF)
How reframing career-development talks can help you retain your best employees and help them succeed.

Lose the Career Ladder and Hit the Wall – T&D Magazine, September 2012 (PDF)
Up isn’t the only way to go if you’re seeking to advance your career. Lateral, or even downward, moves can be just as beneficial to achieving your career goals.

Talk’s Not Cheap: With Careers, It’s All About Conversation – Trainingmag.com, September 2012  (PDF)
For years we’ve heard that “talk is cheap.” Not true. When it comes to the manager’s role in development, talk is actually the most precious and results-driving commodity you have to share.

Want Talent? Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go – Forbes, September 2012
Review of Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go

Develop Me or I’m History – Sales and Marketing Management, September 2012 (PDF)
Even during challenging economic times, your best and brightest have options. Failing to help them grow can lead employees to take their talents elsewhere. They become “history.”

How to Keep Employees You Can’t Afford to Lose (PDF)
Even in this sluggish job market, your best people always have other offers. Here’s how to entice them to stick around.

Career Development Conversations: Overcoming Common Myths – T&D Magazine, May 2012 (PDF)
Assuming a management role in today’s workplace comes with a front-row seat to some of the greatest business challenges of our time. On a daily basis, managers are tasked with several myths. Learn about the myths and how to overcome them.

Ladder Not Required (PDF)
A global healthcare solutions firm learns that career development does not equate a vertical climb.

Managers: Your Development Power Players – Chief Learning Officer, February 2012 (PDF)
To leverage the power of busy managers, ensure they are prepared to accept their roles as employee development partners.

Four Generations: Develop and Engage Them at Work – by Beverly Kaye, Leadership Excellence, January 2012 (PDF)
There are distinct differences in the why’s and how’s of developing each of the four generations, since each has a distinct attitude and approach to careers.

Shifting from Nicety to Necessity – by Beverly Kaye and C. Patrick Smith, T&D, January 2012 (PDF)
The complex interplay of social, economic, technological, and legal developments that have appeared during the past few decades have radically disrupted this long-standing pattern.

Build a Culture of Development (PDF)
One of the strongest messages for today’s workforce is the necessity for self-accountability for one’s own career.

Staying Connected While Working Apart - by Beverly Kaye and Beverly Crowell, June 2020 (PDF)

Struggling to recruit great employees?  Maybe you’re the problem - by Beverly Kaye, Connie Bentley, and Linda Rogers, Talent Quarterly, November 2019 (pdf)

Elevating the Employee Experience – by Beverly Crowell, Talent Management, January 2017 (pdf)
Employee engagement. What is it? Where do you start? And how do you go from a place where you are managing attrition to attrition managing you?

EY, a global professional services organization of member firms with more than 200,000 employees and operating in more than 150 countries, faced a problem common in the professional services industry: attrition. In past years, attrition of personnel from the assurance practice of the U.S. firm’s central region started to trend upward. Today, the U.S. firm is seeing a decrease overall and, at some levels, more than a 10 percent decrease. What happened? Did people just stop leaving?

How to Achieve the Required Personal, Energy and Professional Vision (PEP) in Life and Work – by Beverly Crowell and Beverly Kaye, Hotel Executive, April 2016 (link)

Just how energetic are you today? Enthusiastic about life and work? Feeling happy, satisfied and full of promise? Or, is the opposite true? A little lethargic, sluggish or lifeless? Careers and life are never static. They languish when we lose focus, lack plans, become bored and forget to live in the present. It happens when we lose Personal, Energy and Professional vision (PEP)- not just the feeling. And, when we lose PEP, our guests lose too. Guest satisfaction is directly tied to just how engaged we are in the hospitality industry. If we want to engage our guests, we have to engage the “hearts and minds” of everyone they encounter during a stay.

Retention & Recruitment: Lessons from Your Guests – by Eileen McDargh and Beverly Kaye, Hotel Executive, March 2016 (link)
The hospitality field for HR professionals is being slammed with the need to replace an aging workforce, find and develop talent among significantly different generations of workers, create career paths to grow the next generation of leaders, plus measure and manage budgets that must be justified for recruitment and retention. Getting these tasks done-tasks that will result in a vibrant, resilient organization–seems overwhelming. Yet, it is often the elegant, simple approach to keeping and attracting talent that wins the day.

The Employee’s Guide to ‘Stay’ Interviews – US News and World Report writer Laura McMullen interviews Beverly Kaye, Money online, May 5, 2015 (link)
What if you could hit the rewind button during your exit interview? What if, mid-question – Why is it you’re leaving – you step into your time-traveling cubicle and venture to six months earlier. You knock on your manager’s door and say: “Instead of telling human resources what would have made this job better while I’m on the way out the door, I’m going to tell that to you while I’m still here.”

Love or Lose Your Senior Talent – by Sharon Jordan-Evans and Beverly Kaye, Talent Management Magazine, September 2015 (PDF)
When managers look at their older workers, do they see gray or gold? Do they view them as over the hill, burned out, obsolete or change-resistant? Or do they see them as committed, wise and mature sources of leadership, intellectual capital and organizational history?

The Stay Interview – with Beverly Kaye, Human Resource Executive online, May 5, 2015 (link)
HRE talks with Beverly Kaye about her upcoming book, Hello Stay Interviews, Goodbye Talent Loss. Stay interviews with current employees yield more helpful retention insight for organizations than exit interviews currently do.

What’s Your Engagement Strategy? – by Beverly Kaye, HRO Today, March 2015 (PDF)
Beverly Kaye shares three key strategies that build loyal, productive employees.

Fitting Square Pegs in Round Holes – Beverly Kaye and Beverly Crowell, Talent Management online, March 2015 (link)
Employee fit is arguably the essence of employee engagement. But what happens when fit isn’t immediately clear?

More Stay Interviews, Fewer Exit Interviews – by Beverly Kaye and Sharon Jordan-Evans, Talent Management, September 2014 (link)
By the time exit interviews take place, employees have made up their minds, and seldom do they reverse their decisions. It’s simply too late. Luckily, the alternative doesn’t require a major shift in thinking. Instead, it takes a switch in when during the employee life cycle a similar, but arguably more effective, conversation takes place.

Low-Cost (And No Cost) Strategies for Retaining Agents – Beverly Kaye and Sharon Jordan-Evans (PDF)
Strategies for keeping talented agents that won’t strain the call center budget.

Strategies for Engaging and Retaining Call Center Professionals – Beverly Kaye and Sharon Jordan-Evans (PDF)
Call Center leaders want their talent to stay. And not just stay, but be satisfied, engaged, and highly productive. Call Center professionals, at all levels (agents as well as team leaders), want just a little more – of something. Team leaders and employees alike can get more of what they want by remembering to Ask.

The Inclusion-Curiosity Connection – by Julie Winkle Giulioni and Beverly Kaye, Diversity Executive, March/April 2014 (link)
Curiosity may be a natural friend to diversity. It opens the door to different points of view, facilitates insights and understanding, invites involvement and inspires greater engagement.

Build your DREAM Team: Develop, Retain, Engage and Mentor – by Beverly Crowell and Beverly Kaye. Leadership Excellence Essentials. April 2014 (PDF)
Webster’s Dictionary describes a game plan as a “plan for achieving something.” Inside organizations, achievement is measured by business results. These results are delivered by people – people who are either engaged and motivated or disengaged and unproductive. To harness and optimize the talents of every player on their team, leaders at all levels need a game plan.

Let Star Employees Know You Care – by Beverly Kaye and Sharon Jordan-Evans (PDF)
26 ways to show your employees you care. Excerpted from best selling book, Love ‘Em or Lose ‘Em: Getting Good People to Stay

Preventing Quick Exits – by Beverly Kaye and Sharon Jordan-Evans, Focus, March 2014 (link)
Your risk of losing talent is highest in their first three to six months on the job.  Why might that be? Too often we choose the right people but fail to support them as they assume their new roles. It is crucial that you extend the handshake in ways that matter to each new hire.

Recognition Comes in Many Sizes – by Beverly Kaye and Sharon Jordan-Evans, Recognition and Engagement Excellence Essentials, January 2014 (PDF)
When employees across the country answered the question, “What kept you?”, no group had “dollars” in the top five reasons. So, money alone will not guarantee that talented employees will stay. What else can HR professionals do to help keep these employees?

5 Questions with Beverly Kaye – Focus, Winter 2014 (link)
Kevin Kruse talks to Beverly Kaye about the importance of managers in positively or negatively impacting employee engagement and retention.

Why Employee Morale Matters – by Lynn Cowart, The Public Manager, Spring 2014 (pdf) The solution to engagement and retention issues is the ability of the manager to truly understand what is in the hearts and minds of their employees. The right dialogue can motivate employees to stick around and not just be part of the change, but help drive it.

The Manager’s Role in Retaining Talent – by Beverly Kaye and Lynn Cowart, The Buzz in Government – Careers in Government, January 2014 (link)

The Buck…It Stops Here – by Beverly Kaye and Sharon Jordan-Evans, Talent Management Excellence Essentials, December 2013
Chapter from the recently updated 5th edition of Love ‘Em or Lose ‘Em: Getting Good People to Stay.

5 Ways to Retain Diverse Talent – by Rosalind Sago and Lindy Williams, Diversity Executive, September/October 2013 (PDF)
Being outside the predominant group can be difficult, and the challenges minority employees face often contribute to high turnover rates. But there are serveral cost-effective tactics talent leaders can use to help keep diverse workers.

Talking: The Best-Kept Engagement Secret – Talent Management Magazine, July 2013 (PDF)
Read how Morrison Management Specialists improved engagement by 30%, reduced turnover by 15% and improved client satisfaction by 16% by “talking.”

What’s Different About Engagement and Retention in Asia? – T&D, June 2013 (PDF)
Many factors are working against employee engagement in Asia, but there are ways to change that momentum. This article will provide insight into how.

Invade My Space Please – by Beverly Crowell and Beverly Kaye, Talent Management Magazine, October 2012 (PDF)
Technology has been a boon to productivity, but it hasn’t contributed as much to relationships between managers and direct reports. There is a simple way to circumvent that: talk.

When on Task, Employees Come Out in Force – Chief Learning Officer, September 2012 (PDF)
When used well, task forces generate buy-in and provide a direct line to employees’ voices, but to ensure success learning leaders should consider the critical components of team engagement.

Are We Having Fun Yet? – Leadership Excellence, April 2012 (PDF)
A fun-filled workplace builds enthusiasm, which leads to increased productivity, better service, positive attitudes, and talent loyalty and longevity.

Low-Cost (and No-Cost) Strategies for Retaining Agents  by Beverly Kaye and Sharon Jordan-Evans, Call Center Management Review (PDF)
One of the toughest challenges contact centers face is agent turnover. Whether the cause is burnout, dissatisfaction with opportunities, the boss or the pay, well-trained people are leaving contact centers faster than they can be replaced.

Turning the Tables – Leadership Excellence, November 2012 (PDF)
You and your fellow employees have likely complained about your boss many times. You said you would never have done it that way, or you felt you deserved credit or appreciation and it just never came.

Virtual Coaching: Development at a Distance – by Lindy Williams and Beverly Kaye, The Chief Learning Officer, August 2011 (pdf)
Effective coaching can happen virtually if managers maintain a development focus and work to create a continuous connection.

May I See Your Whine List? – by Beverly Kaye, Talent Management Magazine, February 2011 (PDF)
By learning to identify what’s beneath five common employee complaints, managers can turn whines into wins.

Struggling to recruit great employees?  Maybe you’re the problem - by Beverly Kaye, Connie Bentley, and Linda Rogers, Talent Quarterly, November 2019 (pdf)

The 3 Essential Jobs That Most Retention Programs Ignore  by Lynn Cowart, Cile Johnson and Bev Kaye, Harvard Business Review, January 2018
For more than a decade, leading human resource strategists have hit on a recurring theme: You want your star players working in the roles that matter most to the business. We have identified six leverage roles where you want to make sure you have — and keep — your highest-caliber people. Read this January 2018 article in the Harvard Business Review to learn more about these roles.

Targeting Your Retention Strategy by Beverly Kaye, Cile Johnson and Lynn Cowart, Human Resource Excellence, December 2017.
Many CHROs are rigorously determining which positions give their companies a competitive edge. Their next step should be modifying what they’re doing to hold on to the top performers who fill those key roles. Read this Dec 2017 Career Systems Intl article featured in Human Resource Excellence magazine for our insight.

The Right Roles, the Right People, and the Right Retention Strategies
What are the key talent issues businesses can’t ignore in 2018? The right roles, the right people and the right retention strategies. The Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp) recently asked us along with 12 other HR thought leaders and industry experts: What must HR do in 2018 to stay ahead of the curve? Read our predictions for 2018 and the implications for HR here.