You Want to Move Where?

Do you get a knot in your stomach when a valued employee begins a conversation with one of these phrases?

• I’d like to talk to you about my career.

• I really want to understand what my career options are.

• I’m interested in talking about my next step.

• I don’t understand why he got that promotion. I thought I ....

• Only a step up makes me feel appreciated.

Feel the knot? It’s understandable. You value employees with superb skills who have mastered the current job and want more. They may get calls from recruiters. They want a chance to run the project. They’re in your office, looking to you for a much-needed, much-deserved conversation about moving up in the organization. You want to keep them. And “up” is in short supply.

You may lose some of them. However, our 20 years of research reveal that not all those who say they want vertical moves will leave if they don’t get them. But they will leave (physically or psychologically) if they are not challenged, growing, and having new experiences. So what can you do for them if up is not an option?