Ever had a boss who made it crystal clear their career comes first? One of my friends once asked an exec at her company for a development opportunity that he was also interested in, only to be told, “Your career is important, but mine is more important.” Ouch. At least he was honest?

But here’s the thing: you don’t have to just accept bad boss behaviour. Let’s call it out and do something about it! Here are the top 5 “bad boss” moves that stunt team growth—and what you can do to flip the script.

As any good project manager knows, it’s vital to be crystal clear on who is responsible for what. Development planning is no different. This might sound dead obvious, but in our experience it is not unusual for there to be confusion in this space, leading to unmet expectations, disappointment, and disengagement.

So for the purposes of absolute clarity this article attempts to describe how development comes together successfully at work, because it doesn’t happen in a vacuum or by accident!

Without a framework to guide thinking, beyond the development plan template itself, at worst development plans are a ‘tick box exercise’ and at best they tend to be front loaded, with most of the focus and actions about the job at hand. It gets murkier the further down the road we ask people to look.

When lack of career development is one of the top reasons people leave their job, having a meaningful development plan is key.

Imagine what kinds of meaningful conversations could be triggered if, through the storytelling and shared experiences, people felt safe to talk about their career uncertainties with people willing to listen, and felt safe knowing they are not alone!!

Perhaps we can take some lessons from Health and Safety storytelling?

With the lifespan of our skillsets getting shorter and shorter and the changing nature of work, what does ‘career development’ mean any more and should we still be even talking about it?

Let’s face it, breaking up with your boss can sometimes feel as hard as ending a romantic relationship. Here’s how to handle these tricky chats, whether you're the team member or the boss, and why it pays to have them early.

When you get down to it, trust is the magic ingredient for meaningful career conversations. Careers are so personal. We need to feel we are in a safe spot to open up and talk about what is deeply important to us. Here are some great tips for leaders wanting to create that trusted safe space.

At a recent Leadership Summit we ran sessions for over 50 leaders on what gets in the way of meaningful development conversations. Their answers were honest and completely relatable.

In such a tight market for talent, it’s time to check if your employee value proposition matches the expectation of your people. New research confirms expectations have changed.

It’s time for the personal development conversation with your team member. If that fills you with dread, you’re not alone! We reckon there are three factors at play.

How focussing on your people’s strengths rewards them and your organisation.

A senior HR professional said to us recently “we’ve been talking about the war for talent for years but now it’s really here!”. Now more than ever, is the time to up the ante on effective and sustainable talent retention initiatives.

Having a kpi of a ‘couple of stuff-ups per week’ is a genius way to build the muscle of ownership and innovation in your organisation. Parents can also help grow this desirable skill in young people.