Why We Developed CDR-U Coach, Our Avatar Coaching Technology

Retaining talent in the foreseeable future will not be easy. To adapt to the talent needs of the future, development opportunities need to be provided to?all?employees, not just the top few. Interestingly, executive coaching is provided for those typically in the last third or quarter of their career span. Sometimes high potential employees are afforded coaching, but even these individuals are usually in the last half of their careers.

Younger employees need personalized development and coaching to help their careers flourish and to reach their true potential. In fact, the younger employees arguably need this type of coaching even more than executives in their golden career years. For example, understanding one’s strengths and passions is crucial to find the performance and career path that best fits one’s strengths and needs. However, there is another important aspect of personality that must be identified and understood for employees to reach their true capability. One’s personality-based risk factors are traits that show up when facing stress, adversity or conflict and can cause even the most promising career to go off track, be stymied or to flounder. Therefore, if more junior employees become aware of their risk factors earlier in their careers, they can learn ways to manage and prevent these naturally occurring behaviors to avoid early career demise or pigeonholing caused by risk behaviors running amok.

Correspondingly, here are a few studies that demonstrate how much those early in their careers want opportunities for personal growth:

• Bridge survey data finds that?offering career training and development would keep 86% of millennials from leaving?their current position.?[i]
• Qualtrics reports?roughly 80 percent of millennials?said that an emphasis on?personal growth?is the?most important quality?of a company's culture.?[ii]
• Though newcomers to the professional world—the oldest Gen-Zer today is pushing 25—Gen-Z is highly motivated to grow their careers?with 76% seeing learning as the key?to their advancement.?[iii]

To provide personalized development and in-depth coaching for all employees sounds like an irrational or budget-busting idea. It has been an unrealistic option—until now. In fact, now is the time to make a budget for talent development and CDR offers the budget-friendly solution to deliver essential personalized development for all employees.

People today, particularly younger employees, are tech savvy. In response to today’s trends, CDR developed a digital coaching platform called?CDR-U?Coach that coaches through avatars. Interestingly, we have learned from early users that millennials and Gen-Zers welcome this approach. Many prefer this process of receiving their feedback from an avatar and, in this way, not being “judged” by a human. Many said they felt safer hearing their feedback from an avatar. With their selected avatar, they can confidentially listen to the frank, direct feedback and developmental insights. Users can take their time, digest the information and even pause if they wish to or to process the feedback and write notes, although they receive extensive coaching reports. They can go back at any time as their career progresses or situations become challenging. They can also revisit and refresh when they are thinking about a promotion or a new career opportunity. The user can continue to update and build on their personal development or career action plans with accurate data and feedback to guide them.

The future of talent development requires organizations to:

Go here for the rest of the article. Your comments and questions are welcomed!