Ask HN: Managing career progression for those with no interest in progressing?
As managers, we've had many individuals tell us "everything's fine; I like it here..." and then leave because "I'm ready for something new." So we often hear "I'm fine" and translate that to "I'm bored/unhappy/disengaged but I'm not telling you that because I don't think it's in my interest to reveal dissatisfaction to my manager."<p>The first step is creating enough trust and openness in the relationship to get past this communication impasse.<p>Promotion ladders are one (of many) tools for expressing what the company desires of its employees. For employees seeking advancement, they also work as a tool for discovering an employee's motivation. If promotion isn't the motivation - express what <i>is</i> the motivation. Figuring out that someone loves the puzzle of debugging, or takes pride in being the expert, or is a 9-5 journeyman who wants a stable, competitive salary for their contribution can be the key to having a fruitful conversation.<p>Once both sides are honest about motivation and satisfaction (the manager obviously also needs/wants something from the employee...) then there's space for adult-to-adult conversations about how and if those motivations line up.<p>In my experience, managers rarely turn away skilled, drama-free, reliable contributors. But we know our employees aren't totally truthful/open with us about these sensitive topics - so we don't take "I'm fine... leave me alone" at face value.