A woman with straight brown hair, wearing a black shirt and blue jeans, sits on a white sofa, smiling and holding open magazines on her lap in a bright, minimalist room.

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.

Get these insights delivered to your inbox by signing up for our newsletter.

Newsletter sign up

employee engagement

August 4, 2025

How to Build a Career Development Culture That Retains and Grows Your Talent

Over the years, I’ve worked with dozens of organisations that want to support career development but don’t quite know how. The answer lies in culture, not checklists.

A woman in business attire stands before a wall with a drawn maze, tracing a red solution path—symbolising the strategic navigation of High-Potential Talent from entrance to exit with her finger.

February 10, 2025

When the Pipeline Overflows: How to Engage High-Potential Talent When Roles Are Limited

Many organisations rightly focus on creating robust talent pipelines to ensure a steady flow of future leaders. However, a challenge arises when there is more high-potential talent in the pipeline than available roles. This can lead to disengagement, frustration, and even attrition among top talent. So, how do you keep these individuals motivated and committed

Two people stand indoors, facing each other and having a conversation. One is a woman in a light blue blouse, the other a man in a light blue shirt and tie. They appear engaged in discussing career development questions to ask employees.

September 13, 2017

Practical Career Development Questions to Ask Employees

Are you looking for career development questions to ask employees and develop your best people? If so, you’re not alone. The most frequently asked questions in our Confident Career Conversations Workshops relate to tools. Questions like: “What effective tools could I use in my career conversations?” “Are there any particular tools you use that lead

Illustration of a woman breaking the large word

March 2, 2015

How to Remove Fear from Career Conversations With Employees

It’s no wonder managers can find it hard to have career conversations with employees. Time pressures, office politics and egos can all get in the way. We all know it’s good to talk. But, let’s face it. Opening up a conversation about a sensitive issue like career progression can weigh heavily on even the most

Four people in business suits, two men and two women, stand in a row pulling on a rope as if in a tug-of-war, symbolising resistance to change as they lean back and work together against a plain white background.

May 24, 2013

3 Ways to Overcome Resistance to Change by Employees

Resistance to change is a natural phenomenon. At an individual level, change can create a mixed range of emotional response. A Global Survey by McKinsey in 2006 (Organising for Successful Change Management), shows that where change had not been successful, the dominant emotions were anxiety, frustration and confusion. While those emotions were not necessarily absent