Career development is a responsibility that managers know they should do and frequently even want to do. Despite that, it’s always getting back-burnered. There are lots of reasons. But the #1 reason managers give is that they don’t have time. Don’t have time for the meetings. The forms. The moving people around like chess pieces. But news flash: employees will leave if they aren’t developed.

In this book Beverly Kaye and Julie Guilioni invite managers to re-frame career development in such a way that responsibility rests squarely with the employee and their role is more about prompting, guiding, reflecting, exploring ideas, activating enthusiasm, and driving action rather than actually doing all the work.

This happens through the simple act of conversation. And career development conversations can be easily integrated into the normal course of business, not separated out as a special task. Kaye and Giulioni identify three types of career development conversations and provide questions, templates, tips and tactics for having them. Managers can stop worrying, avoiding, delaying or taking on too much responsibility for their employees’ career... and just start talking.