Career Conversations: Why following up is key
Career Conversations: Why following up is key
5 minutes
Career conversations are future-focused discussions between an employee and their leader that support growth, development, and long-term career progress.
But for leaders, the career conversation itself is only the starting point. They’re not meant to be one-off chats or part of annual performance reviews – they’re an ongoing rhythm of dialogue that helps people stay clear on where they’re heading and what they need to do next.
Consistent follow ups are all maintaining that momentum and making sure it translates into real growth. It’s looking into how they’re progressing so far, and what else can be done to reach their career goals. Consistent follow-ups is made up of:
- Progress check-ins
Follow-ups look into what your team member’s accomplished so far since the last conversation and the challenges they’ve encountered. This encourages reflection on their efforts, notice patterns and maintain momentum. This also gives you an early view of where encouragement, resources or coaching might be needed. - Reviewing current work and goals
Daily work and long-term development go hand in hand. Follow-ups help assess how current responsibilities support broader goals and whether anything needs to shift for better alignment. It also brings clarity to whether goals remain relevant or need to be adjusted as they go through their career journey. - Direction and realignment
As employees grow, their interests, opportunities and challenges change. Follow-up conversations assess whether someone is still moving in the right direction. They help revisit aspirations and explore whether any part of the plan needs rethinking. Follow ups also make it easier for employees to raise concerns early. - Informal, short conversations
Not every follow up requires a scheduled meeting. Some of the most valuable moments are brief, informal conversations that happen during the workday. A quick question in the hallway or a few focused minutes after a meeting can help someone feel supported and seen.
People progress when they receive regular support. And following up is one of the most effective ways to do just that.
Consistent follow-ups and career conversation check-ins help you to:
- Check in on progress
- Identify what’s working well
- Identify what team members are struggling with
- Figure out what support they might need as they go
Leaders help people grow through continued guidance. In fact, a few minutes of conversation can have a powerful effect. Kay and Giulioni, authors of bestselling career conversations book ‘Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go’, note that a few minutes of focused dialogue can help someone slow down, reflect, articulate what matters most and think more strategically about how to use their strengths.
Development is rarely smooth. As people work toward new skills or roles, they will encounter obstacles. Without supportive follow up, it is easy for team members to feel discouraged or uncertain about their next steps. Momentum fades, and the risk of disengagement increases.
But this changes when leaders are involved. With follow ups, team members feel less alone. They feel confident about their choices to grow. Uncertainty becomes easier to deal with.
In short, career conversations work best when they are intentional and ongoing. Following up on career conversations is a small investment of your time: one that creates long-term capability, confidence and performance in your team member.
Research published in the Journal of Vocational Behavior found that follow ups greatly benefit employees as they contribute to development opportunities. With career discussions and follow ups, employees reported greater clarity about their direction, stronger self-insight, better awareness of opportunities and increased confidence in the choices they were making.
The study also showed that a relational, more human approach in career conversations matter. This is because it helped people through feelings of uncertainty that often happens during career transitions, while relationships that felt ‘transactional’ caused feelings of disengagement.
In other words, the support leaders provide has real value. A quick follow up tells your team member “I’m with you every step of the way.”
Here is a simple framework that can help you get started with following up after career conversations. With a quick check-in and three practical questions, you can strengthen their growth and motivation as they move towards their potential.
