Question: The employee and employer both have roles in career development; however, even though many roles are different, the result or end-state is the same. Employees want to grow and expand in their knowledge base so they can plan for future opportunities. Employers want to help employees develop their skills for better performance and to help the company as a whole. Career development is all about planning and acting on goals that the employee and employer can set together or separately. One of the key ingredients to career development is good communication because employers may have one idea for the employee, while the employee might see things completely different, which leads to potential conflict or failure to meet the overall goals.

What can the employee and employer do to ensure that the career development path is the same and that both parties are working together to meet the same goals?