How to Build a Meaningful Career

by Amy Gallo

 

Everyone aspires to have purpose or meaning in their career but how do you actually do that? What practical steps can you take today or this month to make sure you’re not just toiling away at your desk but you’re doing something you genuinely care about?

What the Experts Say
Unfortunately, most of us don’t know how to make the job decisions that lead to satisfaction. Nathaniel Koloc, the CEO of ReWork, which provides recruiting services to companies that offer purposeful work, says that’s because no one really ever teaches us how: “Very few parents, teachers, and mentors urge us to think about this or give us mental models to use,” he says. “We tend to only get nibbles of what meaningful work is in our twenties.” As a result, we often pick jobs for the wrong reasons, says Karen Dillon, coauthor of How Will You Measure Your Life. “We look for things that we’re proud to talk about at a cocktail party or look good on a resume.” But rarely are those the things that translate to satisfaction. Here are principles you can follow to find a career — and a specific job —­ you don’t just enjoy, but love. Continue reading

Evaluate Your Leadership Development Program

By Harrison Monarth

Despite studies showing that succession is an essential part of strategic planning, many companies ignore leadership development to focus on more immediate challenges. But your organization’s future success depends on identifying and developing the next generation of its leaders.

According to a 2014 survey from Deloitte, 86% of business leaders know that their organizations’ future depends on the effectiveness of their leadership pipelines — but a survey of 2,200 global HR leaders found that only 13% are confident in their succession plans, with 54% reporting damage to their businesses due to talent shortages. To improve your leadership development strategy, look at the criteria you’re using to identify potential leaders, what you’re doing to assist with their development, and how you’re measuring their success. Continue reading

Three approaches to employee development that sound like great ideas, but really aren’t

by Melissa Janis

 

 With employees feeling overwhelmed by ever-increasing task demands, it’s harder than ever to make employee development a priority with its longer term, often “squishy” topics. Fortunately, there are leaders who understand the value of focusing on employee development and look to leverage it to boost productivity, engagement and retention for today as well as to build for the future. Continue reading

Mentoring or Coaching: What’s Best for Your Company?

by

Mentoring and coaching strategies translate to better employee engagement and retention. But it pays to know the key differences between coaching and mentoring to implement an effective program.

One of the major effects of the recession was a lack of investment in developing business skills for younger, midlevel workers. Today we’re faced with a serious talent gap and, with the improving economy, greater difficulty in recruiting highly skilled employees to fill those positions.

As organizations realize the depth of their talent predicament, many are developing strategic talent pipelines, with eight out of 10 saying they are “taking the steps to grow the talent pool and ensure access to the rights skills that will help drive business results,” according to “The Talent Shortage Survey: Research Results,” a ManpowerGroup survey. Continue reading