Career management is a strategic resource for both sides of the employee/employer relationship. Professional development has a significant impact on individual motivation. Motivation is a key component of performance.

Employee performance is a fundamental cornerstone to the financial success of the organization. Whether or not individuals’ employers support career development, it is always in a person’s best interest to maintain a life-long habit of continuous development.

Career managers provide strategic career guidance that contributes to a person’s entire life span. The effective career strategist must balance three distinct roles: strategic, facilitative, and actionable.

The strategic role requires a global focus and an ability to draw insights from the person’s past and present to effectively construct a desired future.

The facilitative role includes the day-to-day operational tasks such as motivating clients to do homework, following up on client assignments, increasing clients’ awareness of self-limiting beliefs and blind spots, assisting clients in using their emotions as well as their intellect in the career exploration process, and helping clients optimize career satisfaction.

The actionable role of career development focuses on short-term activities that must be performed to help clients achieve both strategic and tactical goals. This requires excellent record keeping and a host of administrative duties that move the client forward at the appropriate pace throughout the process.