Unlocking the Power of Career Conversations

Smadar Tadmor
Dec 7, 2025
4 min read

Career development isn’t just a nice-to-have, it’s one of the biggest reasons people stay or leave.

Research from SHRM shows that lack of growth and advancement opportunities consistently ranks among the top two causes of turnover, with 61% of employees citing it as one of their top three reasons for leaving. Gallup adds that 42% of employees who quit voluntarily believe their employer could have done something to keep them - proof that much of this turnover is preventable.

And all of this is happening against the backdrop of a workplace that never stands still. New technologies, shifting markets, and emerging roles are constantly reshaping what success looks like. What employees need today may be very different from what they’ll need six months from now. In this reality, static career paths no longer work. What people need are ongoing career conversations that help them grow, adapt, and stay future-ready.

The desire for growth is undeniable. MIT Sloan found that 67% of employees want career advancement, yet nearly half say the absence of meaningful career guidance has already held them back. The APA highlights that when growth opportunities are missing, job satisfaction plummets and turnover rises. And when employees do get support, the effect is profound: Quantum Workplace found that those who have career conversations more than once a month are 29% more engaged than those who only have them once a year.

The bottom line is clear: career growth isn’t just an employee preference - it’s a retention strategy.

Career Conversations: An Underused Tool

Too often, career conversations are treated as a one-off event. A box to check once a year, or a discussion about the “next role.” In our rapidly changing reality, they should be something very different: a continuous process that keeps growth in momentum, creating an ongoing opportunity for employees to explore, reflect, take action, enhance their capabilities, gain new skills, and strengthen their employability: preparing them for any new opportunity that may arise.

The world of work is evolving all the time - new technologies, shifting business models, and emerging roles are rewriting what it takes to succeed. What employees need today may be very different from what they’ll need six months from now. Career conversations are the bridge that helps them stay aligned, adaptable, and ready for whatever comes next.

When done well, career conversations create:

Clarity - showing employees where they’re headed and what paths exist inside the organization.
Momentum - turning growth into practical steps instead of vague promises.
Engagement - proving to employees that their aspirations are seen, valued, and supported.
Accountability — encouraging employees to take ownership of their own growth.
Retention — making clear they don’t need to leave in order to grow.
Capability and future readiness — helping employees build the skills they need today while preparing the organization for the opportunities and challenges of tomorrow.

And HR leaders agree. In a poll I ran with over 1,200 professionals, here’s what they said about when career conversations should happen:

Once a year - 25%
About every 3 months (quarterly / 12 weeks) - 57%
Whenever the employee asks - 18%

The results are clear: most leaders no longer view career conversations as rare, transactional meetings. They see them as part of a living cycle of development - something that evolves with the employee and the organization, creating rhythm and momentum instead of stagnation.

Why It’s Hard to Make Career Conversations Stick

If career conversations are so powerful, why don’t they happen more often? The reality is simple: time and capacity.

Managers are overloaded with demands. HR teams are stretched thin. And employees themselves are busy balancing projects, deadlines, and constant change. Even when everyone wants meaningful career conversations, they rarely make it into the everyday rhythm of work.

That’s where AI changes the equation.

With the right tools, career conversations can finally move from “important but impossible” to embedded and effortless.

AI can act as a personal Career Development System (CDS) — helping employees craft their own growth plan and then:

Provide nudges and prompts that spark timely conversations.
Surface personalized insights tied to each employee’s motivators and aspirations.
Equip managers with coaching cues so they feel confident and prepared.
Turn conversations into a continuous flow - not an extra meeting, but part of daily work.
Unlock organization-wide opportunities - connecting employees not only to open roles, but also to mentors, cross-functional task teams, stretch assignments, projects, courses, and continuous learning beyond the LMS.

AI doesn’t replace the human connection. It makes space for it - ensuring career conversations happen with the right focus, at the right time, in a way that sustains momentum.From Conversations to Journeys

From Conversations to Journeys

This is exactly what we designed My Quest to deliver.

My Quest guides employees toward a future shaped by their unique strengths, motivations, and ambitions. Instead of following a one-size-fits-all formula, they chart their own course — one that adapts as they grow and as work changes.

The journey helps employees uncover their personal blend of motivations, competancies, and action styles, and turn them into a clear, actionable plan they can start implementing immediately. It’s a process that empowers them to grow, discover opportunities tailored to who they are, and move closer to a fulfilling career — doing work they love, experiencing continuous development, and enjoying the real rewards of meaningful contribution.

Employees aren’t limited to “open roles.” They can access the full spectrum of organizational opportunities - from mentors and task teams to stretch assignments, projects, courses, and continuous learning experiences - extending growth far beyond the LMS.

With My Quest:

Employees see their path forward and own their growth.
Managers gain a framework to support and coach without added burden.
Organizations unlock talent mobility across roles, skills, and opportunities while keeping their best people engaged and invest.

Final Thought

Career conversations are not a side note. They are one of the most powerful and most underused tools leaders have to strengthen engagement, retention, and growth.

And in a world where work is changing faster than ever, the organizations that keep career conversations alive will be the ones that keep their people.