Thanks, Scott. I am a real fan of the shorter, more frequent, iterative conversations.  It's more organic, can happen concurrent with other tasks, and it's the way people actually develop and grow.  I don't mean to get all self-promote-y... but I co-authored a book on this very topic, Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go: Career Conversations Employees Want.  You can download the first two chapters from my website.  Best of luck to you!  Julie