The concept of a career agent isn’t new or novel. At some point or another, everyone has worked alongside a career agent. You know the type: The great managers of people in your organization that genuinely care about the future of their colleagues. They not only know their employee’s career goals; they do everything in their power to help them achieve their dreams.

You know a great career agent when you see one. People gravitate to them as mentors and coaches. They want them to be their managers because they know they have their best interest in mind.  But, great leaders aren’t born overnight. Billions of dollars are spent each year on leadership development and training, and often the results are less than desired.

Last week I sat down with Kris Dunn, CHRO of Kinetix and founder of Fistful of Talent, and Ed Baldwin, Founder of HRO Partners, to discuss the importance of incorporating career agent training into your learning and development programs. During the candid conversation we talked about:

• How to encourage managers to include WIIFM (What’s in it for me?) in every conversation with employees – which is a serious game changer
• Why having an approach to coaching skills is a must when it comes to improving performance
• Ways to prepare managers (through training) to change their world-view and leadership style

Check out a recording of the recent L&D Hangout with Fistful of Talent to hear some funny and insightful advice on how to make managers career agents today!