Young people entering the workforce need support and coaching if they are to gain confidence and grow. Jerry Connor in a recent article in HBR online (read it here) believes there are four conversations managers and supervisors can have with the young employees to ensure they are set up for success. Connor gives details of what the conversations can look like, so do read the full article, however, a quick summary follows:
- Help them build resilience – It’s about helping them figure out how to balance their thinking, drop their judgements, and focus on the one or two positive choices they can make to learn and move forward.
- Help them influence others – help them to see situations from other people’s perspectives and find new ways to engage and build relationships.
- Help them to job craft – help employees reflect on what’s most important to them, so they can shape a compelling vision for their future.
- Help them break out of a mental rut – don’t provide solutions, but help employees clarify the questions they’re trying to answer, push them to gather perspectives from diverse sources, and reflect on what they’ve learned in order to come up with a new and better strategy.
Managers who invest time in addressing these issues not only increase employee retention but also build connections that keep their teams inspired, innovative, and doing their best work.