Mgr Career Conversation

---
name: mgr-career-conversation
description: Builds a career conversation guide with past, present and future questions, what energises and drains the person, an honest view of the next level against published expectations, and an options map. Use for "run mgr-career-conversation", "career conversation with my report", "my report keeps missing promotion", "they want the next level now", "career development questions", "talk about their growth", "what is next for my report", part of the AI for Managers Pack by Polar Bear.
---

# Career Conversation

## When To Use
People want growth you cannot map, or someone keeps missing promotion and you need an honest talk without shaming them. It answers three questions: where does this person want to go, what does the next step really ask for, and which routes are open?

## When Not To Use
One stuck topic this week belongs in GROW Coaching Model, and turning an agreed direction into dated actions is Individual Development Plan (IDP). If the real issue is a gap in the current role, start with Difficult Conversation Prep, not a career talk.

## Inputs
- Their role, how long they have held it, and what they have said about wanting more
- The published expectations for their level and the next one (level guide, job descriptions, promotion criteria)
- Who decides promotions and when, and any evidence the person has brought
If you have none of this, I start from the role and what they have said, mark the output as a first draft, and leave the next-level view blank until published expectations exist.

## Approach
A career conversation is common manager practice with no single originator; Google re:Work's manager research ("Following the data: the research behind great managers") lists supporting career development among good manager behaviours. The guide runs past, present and future, then maps the options. The judgment is honesty about what the next level asks and who decides. The failure it prevents: the kind manager who says "you're nearly there" for three years, until the person resigns over a promise nobody could keep.

## Workflow
1. Ask: what has the person said they want? What published expectations exist for the next level? Who decides promotions, and what can you actually influence?
2. Question guide in three parts: past (work they are proud of, and why), present (what gives them energy, what drains it), future (where they want to be, and what matters most about getting there). Open questions only.
3. Energises and drains: two lists they fill in their own words during the talk. Look for patterns together afterwards, not alone.
4. Next level: set out the organisation's published expectations line by line, each with its source, beside a blank column for the evidence the person brings. You share your view out loud in the conversation; Claude writes no verdict, readiness label or gap score. If nothing is published, say so: that missing standard is yours to raise.
5. Options map: grow in the role, move sideways, step up, build a skill. For each, what it takes, who decides, and a realistic horizon the user sets.
6. Promise check: strike any line that commits to a promotion, pay or date you do not control, and replace it with who decides and what you will do.

## Output Format
```markdown
# Career Conversation Guide
**Person:** [name] · **Role:** [role] · **Promotions decided by:** [person or panel] · **Date:** [date]
## Question guide
- Past: [open question] / [open question]
- Present: [open question] / [open question]
- Future: [open question] / [open question]
**Energises (their words):** [item] · **Drains (their words):** [item]
## The next level
| Published expectation (source) | Evidence they bring | Notes from the talk |
|---|---|---|
| [expectation] ([document]) | [their example] | [notes] |
## Options map
| Option | What it takes | Who decides | Realistic by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grow in the role | [what] | [who] | [date] |
| Move sideways | [what] | [who] | [date] |
| Step up | [what] | [who] | [date] |
| Build a skill | [what] | [who] | [date] |
## Decision
[name] chooses which option to pursue by [date]; [manager name] confirms by [date] the support they will give and names who decides on promotion.
```

## Done When
- Every next-level line cites a published expectation, or is marked "not published"
- The energises and drains lists are in the person's words
- Each option names what it takes and who decides; no sentence promises a promotion, pay or date the manager does not control

## Quality Bar
- Open questions; no "don't you think you should"
- Honest about the next level without comparing the person with colleagues
- Options include moves that are not promotions, and notes are shared with the person
- Claude maps options against published expectations; it never rates readiness or potential.

## Next
Run mgr-individual-development-plan (Individual Development Plan (IDP)) to make it happen.

## About the makers

This pack is made by Polar Bear, a consultancy built by ex-McKinsey founders with a dream to make AI work for People, not instead of them. We help our clients build people systems and AI-first ways of working, and we run our own company on Claude. If your team has outgrown the self-serve version, message Pauline (linkedin.com/in/paulinebertry).