A leading financial services organization came to us with a problem their expensive leadership training hadn't solved: talented employees kept leaving, citing "limited development opportunities" in exit interviews. The painful irony? Their managers had just completed training on career development conversations.
They needed managers to actually change their behavior, not just understand the concepts. We partnered to create a solution that would transform career conversations from annual checkboxes into regular habits—without pulling anyone away from their daily work.
The Challenge
Exit interview data painted a clear picture. Employees weren't leaving for better pay or perks. They were leaving because managers weren't having meaningful career conversations, despite knowing they should.
Employees frequently cited limited career development opportunities as their reason for leaving. This was particularly concerning given the company's business model, where long-term employee retention directly impacts customer relationships and operational continuity.
Managers simply weren't consistently having effective career conversations.
The business impact was significant. With turnover costs ranging from 50-200% of salary, each departure represented substantial lost investment. More importantly, they were losing high performers who simply wanted to grow.
Traditional training approaches had failed because they addressed knowledge, not behavior. The company needed managers to develop new habits in their actual work environment.
Creating a Custom Solution
We partnered to design a 72-day program targeting specific behavior changes. No generic content or one-size-fits-all approaches—every activity was crafted to address their unique challenge.
Working closely with their talent team, we rapidly developed activities that managers could practice during regular interactions:
- "Ask one direct report this week: What work energizes you most, and how can we build on that?"
- "After discussing career goals, send a follow-up email summarizing what you heard"
- "Connect one team member with someone who could support their development"
Each activity took less than a minute to understand but created real practice opportunities. Our AI-powered platform delivered personalized sequences to each manager based on their role, team size, and current skill level.
The 72-day timeline wasn't arbitrary—it aligned with research showing habits form over 10+ weeks. By embedding practice into daily work, managers developed skills without disrupting operations.
Measuring Real Change
Together, we established clear success metrics from the start. Setting clear metrics to measure is a crucial first step, since it helps prove the ROI of training. This wasn't about training satisfaction scores—it was about observable behavior change.
Our measurement framework tracked:
- Baseline behaviors through initial assessments
- Weekly progress through brief check-ins
- Manager and employee perspectives on change
- Direct connection to business outcomes
The results exceeded expectations:
54.5% of managers showed measurable improvement in career conversation behaviors. They weren't just learning about development—they were actively practicing it.
75% improvement in managers viewing career conversations as valuable work rather than administrative tasks.
50% improvement in managers connecting employees with actual development opportunities.
53.8% improvement in career conversations positively impacting employee development.
Managers reported breakthrough moments from these conversations. As one shared, they discovered a high performer who'd been considering leaving due to lack of growth opportunities. Through career conversations, they identified the employee's interest in management and created a development path. Another found their star FSR wanted to become "FSR of the year" and built a specific plan to help achieve that goal.
Business Impact
The behavior change created immediate business value. Employees who experienced regular career conversations reported higher engagement and clearer growth paths. Over time, as managers practice these new behaviors the value is measurable improved retention rates.
Career development transformed from an HR initiative to "how we work." Managers made it part of their regular rhythm, not something squeezed in during annual reviews.
The partnership demonstrated that sustainable behavior change happens through consistent practice in real work contexts, not traditional training events.
Why This Approach Works
Three elements made this partnership successful:
- Targeted on-the-job activities addressing their specific challenges, not generic leadership content
- Seamless workflow integration allowing managers to practice without leaving their desks
- Continuous measurement proving behavior change and business impact
This financial services company proved that when you focus on changing specific behaviors through on-the-job practice, managers don't just learn—they transform how they lead.
The question for other organizations facing retention challenges: What manager behaviors need to change, and how will you help them practice differently?
Ready to transform manager behaviors in your organization? Contact us to discuss how Flint's activity-based learning platform can address your specific business challenges.