Michael Arthur

Much contemporary writing on talent management urges companies to engage in career conversations with their workers. However, most of this writing assumes workers will arrive prepared. Frequently that is not the case, so the conversation is skewed toward what an employer seeks for its own needs. Laure Fisher, co-founder and COO of CallTrackingMetrics (CTM), wants to do better. CTM provides call-tracking software and maintains an in-house call center through its present staff of 83 people.

Nicky Dries, of KU Leuven, is no longer a typical research scholar. Rather than examining existing patterns in careers such as yours, she has joined a different pursuit - to examine the future. She is also asking you to recognize an ongoing debate about that future, and to play your part in joining that debate. Michael Arthur: Where does your story about researching the future begin?

In an earlier life stage, I marveled at how my son and his early career schoolteacher friends adapted to their new roles.