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The Compass Journal: Navigating Careers & Leadership

Fresh thinking for forward-focused organisations

Explore practical insights, thought leadership, and real-world stories on career development, leadership, and the evolving world of work. Each article is designed to spark ideas and support you in creating a culture where people and performance thrive.

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Blog Archives

An open book lies on a wooden jetty by a lake at sunset, with its pages transforming into water and a tree growing from the book, blending imagination and nature.

The Power of Storytelling in Mentoring and Career Conversations

Do you want your employees to really engage with what you are saying? Do you want to grab their emotions rather than just their logical brain? The secret is to use stories. Storytelling is the oldest and most powerful way to engage, excite and educate people. When people are inspired, they take action. That’s not

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The Importance of Growth Mind-set for Career Development

Adaptability has always played a key role in workplace success. But it seems like now more than ever, our careers require us to be constantly evolving. The pace of change is accelerating.  To succeed in any industry, and to be ready to take part in the next evolution of it, professionals must grow and develop. 

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A man in a suit leans over a reflective black table, looking intently at his own reflection.

Mirror Mirror. The importance of reflection in career conversations.

Academics have spent decades exploring the potential benefits of reflection.  It is through reflecting about our concrete experiences that we learn and develop new ways of thinking. It is not a new idea.  In fact, around 450 B.C. Confucius is reputed to have said: “Tell me, and I will forget.  Show me, and I may

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5 Benefits of Great Career Conversations

In a recent blog post I talked about why career conversations are important.  One question I received in response was “Antoinette – if career conversations are so important, why don’t managers have them?”  It’s a good question.  Often the reason is that managers lack the skills and confidence required to conduct career conversations.  They fear

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Visualising a Culture of Career Development

In my last blog post, I talked about the power of visualisation for career development and the benefits to employees. But visualisation is not only helpful at an employee level.  It can also be helpful at an organisational level.  In this blog post I’d like to share my experience of helping a client visualise a

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Picture This! Harnessing the Power of Visualisation in Career Conversations

You want your employees to be successful, don’t you? In fact, you and they have probably used that word. But do you know what success really means to them?  Have they truly thought about it and discussed it with you?  People talk about success all the time.  But rarely do they define it in a

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Two people sit at a small round table with notebooks, pens, and mugs. A woman in a blue blouse smiles whilst talking to the other person, who is writing in a notebook.

Why Career Conversations are Important

“Don’t ask what the world needs – ask what makes you come alive because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” Howard Thurman  It’s a competitive environment, and organisations need to gain advantage through their people more than ever. But there’s a challenge. While organisations want to maximise employees’ performance, employees want

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A woman with glasses and a long plait sits at a desk, shrugging with both hands raised. She looks confused or uncertain. Behind her are shelves with red and black files. A plant and a cup are on the desk.

Career Management. Whose Responsibility is it Anyway?

Organisations and employees agree that whereas organisations owned careers ten years ago, employees are now responsible for their careers.  But is it really possible for an employee to take full ownership of their career when they are reliant on their manager and their organisation for opportunities?  In this blog post I’ll explore the roles and

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Five Benchmarks of a Powerful Career Management Strategy

Are you trying to improve career management in your organisation? Are you keen to respond to employee questions and concerns over their career opportunities?  Are you committed to helping managers support employees with their career development? If so, you should have a documented career management strategy that is known and understood by employees, managers and

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