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 about innovative talent management at Astra Zeneca, “non-negotiables” in hiring, your hiring process, what it takes to be a world class Chief Learning Officer, and making sure your leadership development program is aligned with your strategy.
From Jon Ingham: Innovative talent management: pharmaceuticals example
“I’ve been asking for innovative example of talent management in return for offering two tickets to go along to the [Economist’s Talent Management]Summit with me. There are two leading entries to date – this is the second – from Keith Wilson, Global Talent / Change Director at Astra Zeneca.”
From: David K. Williams and Mary Michelle Scott: Seven “Non-Negotiables” to Prevent a Bad Hire
“The costs of a bad hire are staggering. A recent survey by Career Builder reports more than two-thirds of employers were affected by a bad hire last year, according to AOL Jobs. Of nearly 2,700 employers surveyed, 41% estimate a single bad hire cost $25,000; a quarter estimate a bad choice cost $50,000 or more — not to mention the demoralizing effect of the issue on other employees and on the new hire. Losing a job is one of the most stressful events a human can experience. To avoid that, when we make hires, we screen candidates using a list of personal characteristics we call the Non-Negotiables.”
Wally’s Comment: What are the non-negotiables in your hiring process? Do they include “character” issues?
From the Wall Street Journal: Software Raises Bar for Hiring
“In an essay in this newspaper last fall, Peter Cappelli, a professor of management and human resources at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, challenged the oft-heard complaint from employers that they can’t find good workers with the right skills. ‘The real culprits are the employers themselves,” he asserted.
“It is part of a long-term trend,” he adds in an interview, “and the recession caused employers to be able to be pickier, to get even more specific in the skills they think they can find outside the company and to cut back on training.’
Not surprisingly, his essay drew a lot of response. What did surprise Mr. Cappelli—as he describes in a book, “Why Good People Can’t Get Jobs,” to be published in June—was the frequency of complaints about the hiring process itself, particularly the now-ubiquitous use of software to screen applicants. A Philadelphia-area human-resources executive told Mr. Cappelli that he applied anonymously for a job in his own company as an experiment. He didn’t make it through the screening process.”
Wally’s Comment: No matter what kind of hiring brand you have, your hiring process is your “first impression.” And you never get a second chance to make a first impression.
From Bersin: Today’s World-Class Chief Learning Officer
“The role of the Chief Learning Officer has changed dramatically over the last few years. With skills and talent in short supply (despite the high unemployment rate), the need to globalize organizations, and rapid changes in learning and HR technology, the modern CLO must take on a bigger and more important role.”
Wally’s Comment: Use this article as a thought starter. Josh Bersin suggests five roles a Chief Learning Officer must fill to do a good job.
From Dan McCarthy: How “Strategically Aligned†is your Leadership Development Program?
“If you’re in charge of your organization’s training, talent management, succession planning, or HR function, when’s the last time you talked to your C-level executives about leadership development?”
Wally’s Comment: Your job is to prepare leaders for your specific company with its specific strategy. If you’re not doing that, you may be preparing leaders for a different company.
