Every week, I review blogs and other publications that cover talent development to find the very best talent development posts. This week, you’ll find pointers to pieces on meeting candidates wherever they are, retention strategies, the side effects of a high potential program, and the most recent Hackett “HR Book of Numbers.”
From John Sumser: Meeting Candidates Wherever They Are
“Have you been following the continuing foolishness about whether Facebook or LinkedIn are the ‘best’ place for recruiting? It’s as if those pundits have not begun to grasp social media. Candidates don’t congregate where you want them to; they are in the places that are comfortable to them.”
Wally’s Comment: It’s a bit like fishing. You probably don’t fish off your front porch. It’s convenient but you won’t catch many fish. Instead, you go where the fish are. That’s only one of John Sumser’s points. Read this for his insight into the changing nature of recruiting in a historical context.
From Kyle Lagunas: 5 Employee Retention Strategies for a High Performance Environment
“All high performance environments share a serious devotion to results. They’re competitive, stressful workplaces where mediocrity is disdained and failure intolerable. Moreover, individuals who thrive in these environments tend to be “A†players with intense ambition. And they are always on the lookout for greener pastures. How can high-performing employers better retain these critical employees?”
Wally’s Comment: Since no company I’m aware of aspires to become a low performance environment, this is a post everyone should read.
From Douglas Riddle: Your High-Potential Program Could Ruin Your Business
“This early experience with my own alleged high potential makes me sensitive to what can go wrong when we try to accelerate the development of the (dreadfully nicknamed) “Hi-Pos” — the up-and-comers designated as “high-potential” by the firm. Indeed, of all the efforts to develop the capabilities of leaders within organizations, high-potential programs harbor the greatest risk of generating unwanted results.”
Wally’s Comment: I’m sure you’ve seen those drug ads on TV that promise magical relief and then go on to list all possible side effects. I think my favorite is the Cialis ad that suggests that if you start going deaf or blind you should stop taking the drug and call your physician. Well, Douglas Riddle notes that high potential programs have side effects, too. They’re not as serious as going blind, but you need to be aware of them.
From HR Executive Online: Hackett Study: Business Clients Highly Dissatisfied with HR
“Years of across-the-board cuts during the recession and its aftermath have left companies’ business-services departments–such as IT, finance and procurement–badly weakened in terms of talent and skills, says the latest “HR Book of Numbers†report from the Hackett Group. Even HR itself has not been spared in this regard, according to the report. The report, which is titled Cracks in the Foundation: Closing the Critical Skills Gap Undermining Business Capabilities and is based on data gleaned from information provided by nearly 150 large companies in a recent Hackett performance study, lays much of the blame for this on HR, which it says is failing to deliver adequate levels of talent-management support. As a result, the report finds, department leaders at these support functions are “highly dissatisfied†with the level of support they receive from HR on talent issues.”
Wally’s Comment: So, one more time, what is it that top management thinks HR isn’t doing?
Carnivals, Lists, and Such
