Clifford Chance

We only operate at our best when our people do too. And through our Global People Survey, they told us they want more regular feedback and conversations focused on their career and development opportunities. So, we launched the Three Conversations framework to give all colleagues the right opportunities to discuss their individual performance, development, and career aspirations.

“Regular feedback is critical for our ongoing development and learning,” says Global Partner for Talent, Chinwe OdimbaChapman. “When we get this right, people can thrive. And in turn, that increases our capacity to deliver value to our clients. 

“Three Conversations is a consistent approach to developing our talent and aims to improve colleagues’ experience and empower them to take the lead in shaping their careers.” 

Conversation One is about setting clear objectives and development goals for the year. Colleagues are encouraged to agree inspiring and challenging objectives that are exciting and energising, which make it more likely they will achieve their goals.

A mid-year review of progress against those objectives makes Conversation Two a great opportunity for colleagues to talk about their career development and identify any support they may need to achieve their goals in the second half of the year. Conversation Three is about reviewing performance and celebrating achievements.

Three Conversations creates the space to link people’s overall contribution to the firm with what they are assessed on at the end of the year and what they want to achieve next.”

While many of these discussions were already taking place across the firm, there was no one structure to ensure that they are robust and consistent. Colleagues around the world have welcomed the new, transparent engagement framework:

“Having an open conversation with your Career Development Partner allows you to canvass your performance and create a forum to identify opportunities to grow,” says Charlotte Shieh, Associate, Hong Kong.

“Having these conversations has been incredibly useful in connecting me to other people in the firm, and fostering a relationship with a great mentor,” says Kimara Davis, Associate, New York. 

Three Conversations is clearly important for colleagues at an individual level and is critical for the ongoing success of the firm.

“There is a lot of research to show that managers who engage and coach their people are more likely to have top-performing team members,” says Grant Eldred, Chief People Officer. “As a high-performance business, this simple relationship between investing time in your team and the resulting business performance is something we can all connect with. It certainly makes business sense to direct people’s energy towards what drives them and what they are good at.”

Managers and Career Development Partners are instrumental to the success of the framework and have a central role to play in making it work. 

“Developing teams and enhancing leadership capabilities will help us build the reputation of the firm, enable us to attract and retain the best talent and create a firm with the capacity and mindset to deliver brilliantly for our clients,” says Grant. “Timely, specific, actionable feedback is a real gift and can be some of the most important conversations we have in our career. That’s why I believe Three Conversations is right for our people, for our firm and for our clients.”