Make room for a useful growth conversation
You do not need a finished career plan. Bring a real work example, a direction you are curious about, and one question you would like to explore together.
A simple conversation agenda
Use the prompts that fit; the aim is a shared next step, not a perfect script.
Work that energizes me
Name a task or kind of problem you would like to do more often.
- What part of the work holds your attention?
A skill in practice
Bring one recent example and explain what you did.
- What changed for a customer, teammate, or process?
A direction to explore
Share an area of work, new responsibility, or skill that interests you.
- What would help you understand the day-to-day work?
Support and review
Agree what feedback or opportunity could help you learn, and when to revisit it.
- What is a practical next check-in point?
Bring a concrete example
Fictional Northstar Services example: a coordinator wants to learn whether quality-focused work is a good fit.
What I will bring
A recurring case-resolution example and a question about how useful issue summaries are.
- Describe the situation and action.
- Explain what the next teammate needed to know.
What I will ask
Could I observe a suitable quality review and discuss what I learned afterward?
- Ask what preparation would help.
- Agree how and when to review the learning.
If your direction is still uncertain
How can I talk about uncertainty?
Say what you know so far: which tasks interest you, what you have learned from recent work, and what you would like to investigate next.
Can I discuss sideways growth without naming a role?
Yes. Describe the kind of work or skill you want to explore and ask about a suitable way to learn more.
What if there is no opportunity immediately?
Use the conversation to identify a useful next question, feedback source, or learning activity. Exploring an idea does not establish that a role is open.