Career Development Keynote SynopsesCareer Conversations Made Simple for Managers
Do you or your managers think:
-There isno time for career conversations?
-Career conversations are tricky to navigate?
-Career conversations are only for hi-potentials?
-Career is the staff’s responsibility, so it’s not their job?
-Big expectations will result to big disappointments, so why have career conversations in the first place?
If you say ‘yes’ to any of the questions above, this talk is relevant.
Let’s face it. Career conversations are difficult to navigate, we are afraid they would raise expectations that we can’t fulfill. Amidst all the KPIs you need to deliver, to add career coaching on your plate seems a bit overwhelming. Afterall, why put these thoughts into their heads, isn’t it better to just focus on the work?
Well, no. Our research shows that career development is one of the top drivers of retention, productivity and results. People leave their jobs in seek of better career development. Your people want to learn, develop and grow in the job. Career development is no longer a nicety, but a necessity.
Objectives
This session sheds a much needed light on specifically what managers can do – within the time-starved, priority-rich, pressure-cooker environment in which they operate – to support employees’ careers. And it comes down to this: engage in short, ongoing conversations with employees about their career options, needs, and passions. It’s really that simple... and that complex.
Content
This session is based on our time-tested model as a career coach to:
- Listen: Ask the right questions so your staff gains clarity about their careers
- Level: Give career oriented information that is different from performance feedback
- Look Ahead: Focus on the big picture ahead and its impact
- Leverage: Explore multiple options for development
- Link: Link staff to development opportunities and resources
Duration:45 to 90 minutes
For Whom: Anyone with a direct report.
Career Power®: Because No One Cares About Your Career Than You
Do you want to:
- Get the most from your career?
- Stay relevant and employable in the 40 years of your career?
- Gain a better understanding of what makes you happy at work?
- Have more control on how your career will pan out?
- Have a process to plan and manage your career?
We spend at least 1/3 of our lives at work. Most people enter the workforce with a vague idea of moving up in the organization. Many of us want to be happy, grow and do meaningful work. We pin our hopes on progressing quickly in an organization or climbing up with every job change. Career development is seen as upward movement. But the harsh reality is that there are not enough ‘up’ places even when we deserve it! So what is the alternative?
To grow, develop and feel successful in our careers, we need to think of career development as forward movement instead. The more possibilities and options we can generate for ourselves, the more flexible we can be to adapt to changes around us and be happy in our work. But it requires you to take control of your career development, because no one cares about your career more than you do!
Objectives
Participants will learn an overview of our award winning career development model that helps them take ownership and plan for their careers:
- Understand more about your interests, strengths and vales
- Learn ways to manage your reputation and career audience
- Identify future trends that will affect your industry
- Explore different options, other than up
- Leave a few specific steps to move forward in your career
Content
- Person: Who are you?
- Perspective: What do others think of you?
- Place: What’s happening in the world of work?
- Possibilities: What are your options?
- Plan: What do you need to do?
Duration: 45 to 90 minutes
For Whom: Anyone who wants to manage his or her career.
Speaker Profile
Wendy Tan
A consultant, writer and speaker, Wendy Tan integrates wholeness at work so we act with wisdom to create greater good. Wendy has partnered clients in Asia to leverage their human capital as a competitive advantage by engaging and retaining staff sustainably. She has also helped clients develop their internal consulting capability, in particular, to transform from transactional to strategic business partner role. Being a Chinese with a Western education, Wendy integrates both Western thought and Eastern philosophy so we act in alignment to our context. A professional speaker, Wendy has conducted keynotes and has presented in regional conferences in Asia. Wendy connects with her audience through her authentic, heartful and thought-provoking disposition.
Wendy is the Founding Partner of Flame Centre, an organization development consulting and training practice based in Asia. She is also an accredited trainer in Dr Beverly Kaye’s career development and talent engagement solutions and Peter Block’s Flawless Consulting workshops. Wendy graduated Masters of Science in Organization Development in Pepperdine University and is currently a professional member of Asia Professional Speakers Singapore.Her articles have also been frequently published in industry magazines, such as OD Practitioner, ASTD and AI Practitioner.
Wendy has worked with leaders in the OD field such as Peter Block (award-winning author and consultant), Marshall Goldsmith (leading executive coach) and Dr Christopher Worley (author of OD textbook – “Organizational Development and Change”), and participated in global consulting projects in the United States, Canada, Mexico and China.
Contact information
; +65-98804782
Client Testimonies for Speeches
Thanks so much, Wendy! Your talk on "Love 'Em or Lose' Em: Getting Good People to Stay" was engaging and impactful. We had approximately 200 supervisors and managers attend your session and all learned a lot while also smiling and laughing. This is always a good sign. I really appreciated the way that you included opportunities for group interaction into your presentation and also your use of story telling. I had many participants come up to me after the session excited to put the ideas into practice.
-Joy Roman, HR Director, 3M Singapore
Thank you again for the fine job you did communicating the importance of Employee Engagement and Retention. You were excellent. Mixing story-telling with serious topics and talking with the audience instead of to the audience, kept everyone involved. I have received numerous comments from attendees on how much they enjoyed and benefited from your session. 3M looks forward to continued work with you in the future.
- Ronnie Tan, HR Director, Schneider Electric
“Wendy’s talk on Love ‘Em or Lose ‘Em: Engagement in SPF was a good reminder to the officers on what’s needed to engage staff. It was highly contextualized to SPF’s unique operating culture so that officers could relate the engagement strategies to their work. Rather than a sit-down lecture, this talk was very interactive with stories, activities and questions. Officers participated actively and took away some practical tips for themselves.”
- Dr Majeed Khader, Director, Police Psychological Services Division, Ministry of Home Affairs
The session was insightful and impactful. During the short 2-hour session, Ms Wendy Tan delivered nuggets of wisdom that I have found practicable and effective at the workplace till today.
- SCLT Tan Hong Wee, Centre for Leadership Development, Singapore Armed Forces