When you have a team of high-performing engineers with intrinsic motivations to grow in their craft, managing performance becomes more straightforward. The difficult conversations flow more naturally. Stretching them doesn’t feel forced. They’ll embrace your feedback and act on it when there is alignment, and alignment is the key here.

Career growth conversations are only one aspect of managing high-performance teams, but they are a crucial one, not only for the individual’s career progress but also for team productivity, innovation, and retention. In this post, I’ll focus on a few tips and tactics that worked for me and improved the effectiveness of those conversations.

I mentioned that alignment is key, and what I mean by that is alignment with the organization, the team, and the individual needs. But how do you reach alignment? Start with some questions and stay curious, in inquiry mode, try to truly listen to what they’re saying. Begin with powerful questions like:

• What would be the next level for you?

• What would it mean for you to step up to the next level?

Pay attention to the aspects they mention. Are they aware of their blind spots and of any skills gap? Do they mention anyone they’d aspire to imitate? What surprises you? Follow up on that, and only when you have clarity on their perspective, add yours. And from there, try to build together a vision for their career growth. Ask how you can support their development and accelerate their growth rate.

With a shared vision established, you can now tailor your approach to each individual’s needs. For each team member, the tactics and suggestions you make might differ:

• Sometimes it would mean giving them more responsibilities or giving them higher-level tasks.
• Other times, it would mean encouraging them to join and participate in the higher-level conversations happening in your organization.
• Work on their leadership skills. One key skill for ICs at any level is the ability to influence without authority.

Throughout this process, lean on your company’s career ladder and set of expectations as much as possible, but also be mindful of their current place in their career growth. The most effective growth plans acknowledge both the organizational framework and the individual’s unique circumstances.

Conclusion

The most effective way I’ve found to have meaningful career growth conversations is by working in partnership with each individual to co-create their career growth vision. And to do that, you have to start by being curious and by listening actively to their aspirations. Avoid scripted and rigid conversations and simply talk like a human being who genuinely cares. Your engineers will feel heard and supported in their ambitions, and your high performing team will perform even better in the long run.