39: Claire Harbour — Careers in Transition - Why Are You Leaving?

Claire Harbour spent years in general management, strategy consulting, and executive search before deciding to focus on people, talent and bringing out the best in individuals and organizations. She is now a leadership coach and co-author of Disrupt Your Career: How to Navigate Uncharted Career Transitions and Thrive and online courses on career agility. Claire shares insights about the Great Resignation—how employees can be reflecting and developing career agility and how employers can foster constructive career conversations.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[03:10] Claire started out on a very different career path.

[04:00] How Claire changed to internationally-focused business and management.

[04:43] Interest in talent opportunities first manifested for Claire.

[06:26] Claire starts to focus on talent while balancing evolving professional and personal circumstances.

[07:25] The role Claire plays as a coach at decisive moments in her clients' professional lives.

[09:33] The 'push' reasons for resigning from your job have not changed much.

[10:43] However, we have had more mind space to take action during the pandemic.

[11:35] New perspectives about possibilities especially with many employees moving jobs.

[13:35] For employees thinking through their options, there is much information available to review.

[15:06] The Japanese concept of ikigai is one useful tool to start the reflection process.

[17:08] What career agility means and the six "Cs".

[19:00] How working on career agility helps you consider options and make changes.

[20:41] The importance of talking with, not about, talent.

[21:45] How managers must be involved in empathic career conversations, not just HR.

[24:16] Ways to create safe space to talk openly about career development.

[23:45] What do managers need to be thinking about when it comes to upskilling talent?

[25:53] The value of academy companies nurturing employees' capabilities.

[25:50] Organizations are updating their offerings for employees—internal mobility and more.

[29:00] The benefit of personal openness and awareness to foster creative conversations.

[31:06] How to use exit interviews to generate constructive dialog and ongoing relationships.

[32:17] – The questions you can ask to help someone reconsider leaving.

[34:18] Why shopping lists in recruitment are no longer helpful or relevant.

[35:04] The importance of creative thinking in recruitment.

[37:06] IMMEDIATE ACTION TIP: Focus on what you want to move towards rather than away from. Make yourself a Dream Board of the things that you might want in your career. Practice visioning, imagining the job and environment where you want to be.

RESOURCES

Claire Harbour on LinkedIn

Claire's website

Disrupt Your Career by Claire Harbour

Careeracrobats.com

QUOTES

"There are an awful lot of jobs flowing around in, in a buoyant job market. I think one thing that maybe we forget too easily is that when one person resigns, typically that person has to be replaced. To an extent, we're in a merry-go-round."

"We've got this simple model, which refers to the six Cs which are: commitment, control, curiosity, change agility, connections, and confidence."

"Whatever stage you're in in your career, you can be asking yourself questions."

"Why wouldn't we create a system eventually whereby everybody is given a chance to have a safe creative space in which to talk and plan and develop."

"We are all packages of resources and capacities and capabilities."

"She said to me a few weeks ago, "What I wish we could do is to stop talking about talent and start talking with talent."