Additionally, in order to develop our employees for optimum growth we need to build an environment of trust. That can only come about by making a commitment to your employee that you will work towards establishing and maintaining that and perhaps by doing things that may not be considered traditional. (Explain TRUST example later) I will provide an example later when talk about success meetings, mentoring and coaching. I will also be discussing ideas for developing an employee recognition program that will also play simultaneously in the career development of our employees. Again, in most organizations, recognition programs are standard cookie cutter . We want to provide more than the bare minimum. To start with, we can do so most easily by asking them what they want. I will speak more to this during my presentation. Finally, Measurement- qualitative and quantitative must be a part of the equation. Ultimately you must know your audience and customer. The internal, perhaps your colleague or those you manage and external, the one who receives your services. Who is our customer, who are we serving, what is our goal and how can we get there with the resources we have? If we turn these questions upside down, look at them from another angle or perhaps another set of eyes maybe we will find there is more than one right answer. We have to have more faith in our own and each others abilities and as leaders, it must start with us What I believe success boils down to in any situation, whether it is thinking about your own career development/optimum growth or someone else’s, building an employee recognition program, deciding on the safest and most efficient mode of transportation on campus or planning your next vacation across country… is i nformation . Information that is well thought out, relevant and realistic to the task at hand, clear, accurate , and in some cases when there is more than one person involved, fair. But equally important, how that information is communicated. I will talk a great deal about that throughput the presentation BUT Based on my experience, the conversation of optimum growth must begin before the employee is even hired.