ATD Blog
Career journey coaching and talent marketplaces are powerful tools for aligning individual aspirations with organizational objectives.
Wed Feb 05 2025
Engaging employees and fostering long-term commitment involves more than just offering a paycheck—it requires a genuine investment in their personal and professional development. Career journey coaching and talent marketplaces are powerful tools to achieve this, aligning individual aspirations with organizational objectives to create a mutually beneficial dynamic for both employees and employers. In this post, I’ll introduce the concept of Career Journey Coaching and will explore specific best practices in future pieces.
Start by understanding your employees’ personal aspirations. To foster genuine engagement, leaders should first take the time to listen and learn what motivates their team members before presenting organizational goals. This approach builds trust and demonstrates that the company values the individual beyond their current role. Adopting the philosophy of “Seek first to understand, then to be understood” ensures employees feel heard and valued.
When personal and organizational goals align, employees are more likely to feel purpose-driven and motivated to excel. Leaders should actively seek opportunities to connect individual aspirations with business needs, cultivating a sense of shared success.
A practical step in career journey coaching is implementing a process to capture and track personal goals. This should be integrated into talent management frameworks and can contribute to an effective talent marketplace. Talent marketplaces empower employees to explore a wide range of opportunities within their organization while providing managers with clear insights into the available talent across the company. Documenting personal goals also allows managers to revisit employees’ ambitions and provide better coaching during regular check-ins.
Since some employees may be hesitant to share personal aspirations, leaders must approach these conversations with empathy, ensuring employees feel safe from judgment or repercussions. In fact, our research finds that managers who support employees in their career journeys beyond the current organization cultivate greater engagement.
Having a multi-year roadmap for organizations just starting with career journey coaching and talent marketplaces will help with successful adoption. Regardless of the timeline, having a clear plan to integrate personal goals into workforce strategies is essential for fostering engagement.
Trust and psychological safety are critical to culture and authentic sharing of career aspirations. Employees are more likely to engage in honest conversations about their goals when they feel supported and respected. This requires leaders to actively connect with their teams, showing empathy and understanding during periods of transformation.
While HR and the Talent team play a key role, leadership’s involvement is critical in creating a culture where employees feel comfortable discussing their career journeys. This involves clear communication, fostering open dialogue, and ensuring employees know their growth is a priority for the organization.
Career journey coaching also prepares organizations to handle inevitable transitions with respect and transparency. Most employees will hold over ten distinct roles in their careers and will naturally seek new opportunities as part of their personal and professional growth. Rather than resisting this natural progression, leaders should support employees during these transitions. By aligning organizational planning with personal goals, companies can ensure smoother handoffs, maintain positive relationships, and even benefit from boomerang employees who may return with enhanced skills and experience.
Approaching transitions with grace not only strengthens employee loyalty but also reinforces the company’s reputation as a people-centered organization. This thoughtful approach fosters mutual respect and trust, even during challenging times.
Investing in career journey coaching has a measurable impact on employee engagement, productivity, and retention. Managers who support employees’ interests beyond their current work foster 28 percent greater engagement than managers who focus exclusively on the work at hand, and highly engaged teams outperform others by 147 percent in earnings per share according to Gallup’s 2023 Global Workplace Report. When employees feel valued beyond the work they do, they are more likely to stay motivated, contribute at higher levels, and remain loyal to the organization. Reduced turnover also means lower recruitment and training costs, benefiting the bottom line.
Here are three key steps to maximizing engagement with career journey coaching and talent marketplaces.
Train Managers to Explore Personal Goals: Guide managers on effective practices for discovering personal aspirations. For example, highlight that one’s goals do not need to align with the current organization as goals are part of their personal career vision.
Align Personal and Organizational Goals: Seek opportunities to synergize personal aspirations with organizational objectives, creating mutual benefits for both parties.
Deploy a Robust Talent System: Have a process for documenting personal goals enabling a talent marketplace. This step may require time and patience for adoption and should be incrementally improved.
By prioritizing employees’ personal and professional development, organizations create a culture of growth that drives long-term success. Career journey coaching is a powerful tool for aligning interests, maximizing engagement, and building a resilient workforce ready to tackle future challenges.
You've Reached ATD Member-only Content
Become an ATD member to continue
Already a member?Sign In
More from ATD