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 CEO succession, “big talent,” men and women stars and how they’re treated differently, talent management for an aging workforce, and how to keep talent from walking out the door.
From Joseph L. McGill: A CEO Succession Horse Race Isn’t Such a Bad Idea
“When Johnson & Johnson named vice chairman Alex Gorsky as its next CEO, the company concluded a very public succession race that began in 2010 between Gorsky and fellow vice chairman Sheri McCoy. It remains to be seen if Johnson & Johnson will be able to retain McCoy now that she has been passed over for the top job. However, one thing is certain: if she leaves, many governance experts will blame the loss on the company’s “horse race” succession strategy.”
Wally’s Comment: This post is especially helpful because it pushes back against the prevailing wisdom. In my experience every succession scheme has flaws. The challenge isn’t to eliminate flaws. It’s to decide which flaws you’re willing to live with.
From Kelly Cartwright: Big Talent
“In truth, big industries and companies don’t always live up to their sensational reputations for being good or evil, or even invincible—but they do have influence. That influence extends to everything from global markets and the price of milk to who holds office. And that brings us to the one of the most influential forces in the economy today. Call it big talent.
Wally’s Comment: This is a superb overview of the global talent landscape along with some ideas about what it takes to become really good at talent management in today’s world.
From Boris Groysberg: How Star Women and Star Men Fare Differently in the Workplace
“With today’s 101st anniversary of International Women’s Day, it’s a good time to reflect on how companies are doing with respect to their female employees.”
Wally’s Comment: Professor Groysberg is known for his research on high performing analysts. Based on that research he suggests that “when it comes to numbers women are underrepresented at professional ranks, but they might have an advantage when it comes to mobility” and shares the reasoning that leads him to that conclusion.
From Tammy Erickson: Talent Management When the Old Outnumber the Young
“The population used to be shaped like a pyramid: lots of young people, a medium number of middle aged, and a few old folks. But the demographic geometry has changed radically in just the last few decades in many parts of the world — and will shift further over the decades ahead in still others. We now have diamond- or rectangular-shaped populations in many countries and will at some point have inverted pyramids — the old will outnumber the young.”
Wally’s Comment: The age distribution of the population has definitely shifted. So what? Tammy Erickson lists six practices that we’ve gotten used to, but that will have to change based on today’s and tomorrow’s workforce demographics.
From Stephen J. Gill: How to Keep Talent from Walking Out the Door
“Are you worried about employee turnover in your company and how it might get worse once the economy improves? If you aren’t worried, you should be.”
Wally’s Comment: Stephen J Gill shares the thoughts of Bernie Donkerbrook, who thinks that bosses are the people with the most impact on whether talent stays or goes. He also suggests a dozen or so things you can do to keep that talent at home.
