We interview KFC’s chief people officer about how they are assisting managers prepare for goal-centric conversations
KFC’s new program #myplan enables employees to engage in self-reflection, self-evaluation and goal setting.
This helps them to understand the skills obtained while working at KFC, as well as recognise career opportunities both inside and outside the restaurant.
To support the managers throughout this process, a manager component was developed to assist the manager in preparing for a goal-centric discussion with the employee.
It also provides coaching and mentoring skills, as well as a guide as to how they can assist the employee in achieving their short and long term goals.
Managers are encouraged to actively participate to help their employees grow, plan their future, and be their best self, according to KFC.
In particular, the manager module guides managers through the team member module and then adds materials such as links to career counselling sites, KFC Australia’s chief people officer, Rob Phipps told HC.
“It gives them more specific examples of where the conversations might go,” he said.
“It tells them how they should be planning for the conversations and takes them through all the different aspects to make sure that they’re set up in the right way to have this conversation.”
Phipps added that it’s also about helping them not be fearful of that conversation.
“Some of the fear that comes with it is: ‘Oh my goodness, I know I’ll be having these conversations but I’m not a careers counsellor’”, he said.
“We just want to reassure them that we don’t. But we also want to give them the confidence that they’re in the positions they are because they’re responsible and know how to have these conversations.
“If they don’t know the answers, they can point them in the right direction to get them.”
Phipps added that KFC haven’t gone out to every single team member and said ‘you must do it’ because that seems "a little draconian".
“But we certainly would love for more people to do it so the expectation would be that managers would build this program into their normal running of their restaurants to ensure that we’re fulfilling our promise to the team members that work for us via the People Promise,” he said.
KFC team members also share their #myplan goals with parents, career advisors and other key stakeholders.
This is part two of our interview with Rob Phipps, part one can be read here.
