Every week, I review blogs that cover talent development to find the very best talent development posts. This week, you’ll find pointers to pieces on talent management and innovation, an example of a high performing talent management program, promoting CEOs from within, when to fire the head of HR, and how to keep the talent you’ve got.
From Ron Thomas: Business Innovation: Your Talent Management Strategy Is the Key
“On Friday as I backed out of my driveway, I heard news tidbits on the radio about a company that was possibly announcing bankruptcy. As the news recycled, it was announced that it was Kodak that was possibly going to make the announcement. Also this week, Amazon announced that yes, they are getting into the tablet business with the new Kindle Fire. As a Kindle fanatic, I read everything I could about the product. At the other end of the spectrum, Borders officially closed their last store last week.”
Wally’s Comment: Ron Thomas compares Amazon and Kodak and analyzes their situations through the lens of talent management and innovation
From HRM Today: Cardinal Health – Developing Effective High Potential Talent Management Programs
“Jamillah Green-Davis, Leadership Development Director at Cardinal Health was a speaker at the Strategic Talent Management & Leadership Development Canada, which was held in Toronto, ON in July 2011. This is a recap of the presentation and challenges/solutions presented within.”
Wally’s Comment: Mark Walker summarizes another conference presentation, this one by Jamillah Green-Davis of Cardinal Health.
From Joseph Bower: The Most Successful CEOs Come from Within
“To achieve sustained growth and profit in today’s hyper-competitive global markets, leadership must have a deep commitment to and knowledge of those who truly invest in the firm — employees, vendors, customers, the community, and owners in for the long term. My view is that an emphasis on short term (i.e., quarterly) earnings has many damaging effects on a company’s ability to pursue an innovative or entrepreneurial corporate strategy.”
Wally’s Comment: This is a recurring theme for Dr. Bower. I think his overall approach is summarized well in the following quote: “‘Succession planning isn’t an event, it is a process that is best managed over three, five, even 10 years.” He’s also the champion of the “Inside Outsider” as the ideal CEO candidate.
From Karie Willyerd: Ten Clues It’s Time to Replace Your Head of HR
“If you’re a CEO, can the wrong head of HR cause you to lose your job? Absolutely. Ask the ex-CEO of Pfizer or the ex-CEO of Schwab, who both were fired by their boards in part for poor judgment regarding the head of HR. Astonishingly, it was the same woman, Mary McLeod. Called “Neutron Mary” at Pfizer, she had a reputation for excessive personal use of the Pfizer helicopter, tight control of relationships with the CEO at both companies, and harshness with her staff.”
Wally’s Comment: Here’s a post that will make you smile and make you think.
From the Globe and Mail: How to keep talent from wandering
“The cost of hiring a new employee for any position is significant. The many formulas that calculate such costs vary widely, but can range upward of 200 per cent of an employee’s annual salary. That includes not only the tangible costs of severance pay, vacation accrual, job advertising and recruiting fees, but also indirect costs such as the staff time needed for paperwork and recruiting, and orientation and training for new hires. Other hard-to-quantify costs can include customer dissatisfaction, poor employee morale and loss of revenue during transitions.”
Wally’s Comment: Katherine Graham-Leviss looks at retention as an outcome of hiring and includes development. Makes sense to me.
Carnivals, Lists, and Such
Leadership Development Carnival at Elephants at Work
