This week on People First, we’re joined by Julie Winkle Giulioni, a workplace growth champion and best-selling author. Julie helps leaders and organizations unlock talent and potential through meaningful career development. Her latest work, Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go: Career Conversations Organizations Need and Employees Still Want (now in its third edition), redefines how managers can support their teams in today’s fast-changing workplace.

Here are some key takeaways you won’t want to miss:

-03:00 From Elevator Operator Dreams to Career Champion: Julie shares her unconventional childhood aspirations and how they influenced her focus on career development.
-06:00 Beyond the Ladder: Julie explains why traditional career ladders are evolving and how opportunities within roles can offer transformative growth.
-12:00 Psychological Safety and Development: The critical role psychological safety plays in fostering meaningful development relationships in the workplace.
- 13:00 Developing at a Distance: Strategies for leaders to support the growth of remote and hybrid employees and avoid proximity bias.
-16:00 Human vs. AI: Julie underscores the enduring importance of human interaction in career conversations, even in an increasingly AI-driven world.

This episode offers a fresh perspective on career development, exploring how short, frequent, and intentional conversations can transform organizations. Julie’s insights challenge conventional approaches and inspire leaders to embrace development as an everyday practice.