How can you help employees discover their passions and interests?

Empowering employees: Open-ended questions encourage self-reflection, helping employees explore their passions and interests. By fostering a culture of curiosity, organizations enable individuals to articulate their aspirations, paving the way for fulfilling roles that align with their true passions.

When you ask open ended questions to your employees, you are not asking their views on anything specific, rather your triggering their thoughts. That's a great opportunity for employees to share their own ideas & experiences, they will speak from their heart as they are talking what they feel or they have been through. It doesn't just end here, as an employer you should hear with attention & take notes, so you can help employees to explore their interests & passion by involving them in the projects based on what they enjoy & want to do more. This definitely in turn helps the organisations as employee will be giving is 100% as that's what they want to explore!

Engage in team activities that require collaboration and showcase individual strengths and interests. One on one feedback sessions helps too.

The key ingredients to successful coaching is to listen and ask powerful questions. We can tell a lot (sometimes even things the employee doesn’t realize themselves at first!) by asking questions and then deeply exhibiting active listening. How does the person’s tone and expressions change positively when they talk about something? Where are they spending their time and energy when they have “extra”? Those are those golden nuggets of inspiration and passion that bleed through, even if they aren’t actively aware. Those open ended questions can really start the wheels turning for someone to unlock that underlying joy and awareness.

It is usually very hard for them to know what they really enjoy especially if they never experienced it in their day to day job. Asking questions like - Which task makes you forget about time? - What problems are you curious about? - What is something you would do even if no money / reward were involved?

Take a Clifton Strengrhs assessment and study the resukts - you’ll get to know your strengths and blind spots - you’ll learn how to bring your talents to the situation - you’ll also learn how to interact with others (especially if you know their Top 10 talents - stop trying to figure yourself out from the outside, and take a deep look inside

Assessment tools can offer a useful starting point to uncover your interests and passion. The outputs once seen together with one's life experiences, offer valuable pointers as to where one's real interest lies. Here, a coach can play a crucial role in asking those powerful questions which help in uncovering blind spots, and partnering with the client to get in touch with their real feelings and emotions.

There are numerous types of “personality” that can point you directly to what careers choices are the best for you. These are typically science based assessments that gauge the results on your responses to various situations/questions. I think these assessments are super insightful into learning who you are as a person as a whole. You can figure out what makes you tick and maybe why you’re the way you are.

Dans la pratique du coaching, il est très rassurant pour le client de savoir que son coach peut s'appuyer sur un certain nombre d'outils, comme les évaluations psychométriques. Dans ma pratique du coaching, je veille à proposer ces outils pour lesquels je suis certifié (MBTI, EQ-i, DISC, TKI et PCM). Mais je prends surtout le temps d'expliquer à mes clients les points forts et les points faibles de chacun d'entre eux. Il me semble en effet indispensable que chaque client puisse s'approprier l'outil avec lequel il va travailler, pour pouvoir tirer le meilleur profit des résultats de son évaluation.

I like to use VIA character strength questionnaire developed by Martin Seligman and Christopher Peterson. The result is 24 strengths in order from your strongest to your weakest. The idea is to use your strengths that are natural to you. Look for a career where you will use these strengths. Another tool that I like to use is IKIGAI. Client writes down what he loves, what he or she is good at, what world needs, and what he or she can be paid for. Those item that are in all four areas is his or her IKIGAI.

'Say Yes first!' is my coaching cliche. You never know what you are capable of until you have tried what what you are incapable of. This is why I always encourage my clients, most of whom are employees to always have a positive attitude to.tasks and projects out of their comfort zones. And for those holding back for fear of failure or irreparable damage on a project - calm down - no one is likely to waste their money and time on you if there was absolutely no potential identified. Try, ask for help or supervision if need be, but definitely do try!

I have a rule of thumb, always try something once in order to gain an educated opinion on whether you like something or not. You never know until you try!

True growth happens when you are willing to go beyond your 'routine', your 'set boundaries' or more broadly your 'comfort zone'. Willingness to experiment is a trait that can be sometimes difficult to follow through because you may need to start from scratch in a particular field or area. However, the benefits far outweigh the cons. When you realise that a great deal of interest is triggered as well as you forget yourself when you experiment with something new while being able to derive joy in the whole process, voila, you have found your passion! So just do it!

I also do encourage individuals to take personality assessment test to figure out what environment may be best to work in. For example if I am a recluse and really do not enjoy working in teams or with others I would most like avoid pursuing a career as a customer service representative or any position that would require you to do what you feel is naturally uncomfortable, and that recipe is not one of success. Yet please for all me sometimes individuals have no idea what they're naturally good at or passionate about because they haven't explored it. Lastly I do encourage folks to get outside of their comfort zone and established skillet. Ask your self, would I be really excited to go to dinner if I knew the chef actively hated cooking?

When thinking about experimentation, before suggesting your clients to take up volunteering or shadowing, it’s important to understand how their day looks like. Do they have the time? Do they have the mental bandwidth? Are there any gaps or blockers preventing them from experimenting? Often, clients don’t have the mental and physical bandwidth to experiment with many options. It’s good to understand the client’s mode of operation, and ask open ended questions to identify how they can experiment

In the action planning stage, I find exploring the obstacles that people anticipate they will need to overcome and the risks that they need to mitigate a vital part of the process. It doesn't need to be a major focus of the conversation but ensures that the goals set are realistic and that the seeds for a contingency plan have been planted. Also taking a systemic approach by encouraging a change of perspective and exploring whether there are good reasons that the person has to not achieve their goals that they had previously not been aware of, can ensure early on in the process that the client is setting goals that they are committed to achieving both on a conscious and an unconscious level.

Goal setting and action planning: SMART goals method: I would suggest the SMART goal framework (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) to formulate actionable and attainable goals. Breaking down goals: Encourage clients to break down their larger passions into smaller, achievable steps, creating a roadmap for progress. Action planning workshops: Facilitate workshops where clients brainstorm specific actions, resources needed, and potential obstacles for each goal, creating a concrete plan.

Using SMART goals is very useful. Make sure your goals for each employee are measurable, time-sensitive, and realistic to help them grow.

I find using structure methods work best. I emphasize the SMART goals framework, ensuring goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. Breaking larger goals into smaller tasks reduces overwhelm and allows for focused progress. Using the 5-Why method helps uncover challenges and clarify purpose. Creating a timeline visualizes milestones, while an accountability system fosters regular check-ins with mentors. Visualization techniques maintain motivation, and regular reviews allow for adjustments. Focusing on one goal at a time enhances dedication, and celebrating small wins reinforces progress. These strategies empower clients to turn passions into actionable outcomes, benefiting themselves and their organizations.

Knowing that someone encourages you in discovering what you are good at, helping you with regular encouragement and giving you valuable feedback makes a world of difference, be the helping hand!

Furthermore, providing a supportive and accountable environment can also help clients develop a sense of ownership and responsibility towards their goals, leading to a greater sense of fulfillment and satisfaction when they achieve them. As a coach, you can also assist your clients in identifying and addressing any limiting beliefs or obstacles that may be holding them back from pursuing their passions and interests. By offering ongoing support and accountability, you can empower your clients to take action and make meaningful changes in their lives.

I had to smile yesterday when I saw a corporate website that promoted a 'customised cookie-cutter' approach. The irony was not lost on me! A key career development insight for me is that every person, every situation, and every story is profoundly unique. Humans are not cogs in a machines. We are complex creatures, wired for connection, full of creativity, led by purpose and passion. Life is also full of joy and pain, and the harder seasons are often where we find the real growth, the truer zest, and where we can position ourselves for greater impact. No two journeys look the same. Accordingly it's generally more helpful to compare ourselves to who we were yesterday, and who we'd like to be tomorrow, than to everyone else.

Once your client has narrowed down his or her list of possible career choices from the above methods, the final step that I use with my clients is to provide them with the contact info for professionals who work in these careers. I usually get these contacts through LinkedIn. I then provide them with an interview template and encourage them to interview these professionals. This last step tends to narrow down their list considerably.

Individual Meetings: Regular one-on-ones to discuss career goals. Assessments: Use personality and strengths tests for insights. Job Rotation: Allow exposure to different roles. Professional Development: Offer workshops and courses for skill exploration. Hobbies and Projects: Support outside interests for potential professional insights. Collaboration: Encourage cross-departmental teamwork for varied experiences. Positive Culture: Foster an inclusive environment for open expression. Networking: Facilitate events to connect employees with professionals. Mentorship: Pair employees with mentors for guidance. One should aim to create an environment where employees feel empowered to explore their passions with their professional pursuits.

Give them tasks that they naturally would not have taken up by themselves and support them where necessary. Growth happens outside the comfort zone.

In many cases, employees don't feel psychologically safe to share their real interests, wishes, goals and passion - especially if there's a high chance it may not correlate with the company's goals and trajectory. Therefore, as a leader, it is highly important to build a relationship and create a culture and environment, that offers the space and honest interest in the employees' real passion and goals. In the second step, even if it's about personal goals and passions, the company/leader/team can offer support to the employee to bring this passion to life, within the current job or beyond.