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 leadership training for high potentials, using personality tests, the agile model for learning and HR, why managers may not promote the best people, and why your top people are prime targets for other companies.
From Gina Abaudi: Developing a Leadership Training Program for High Potentials: A Case Study
“Given the number of baby boomers expected to retire between now and 2030 (the last group of baby boomers reach of the age of 65 in 2030, and, of course, some may choose to work past age 65) organizations need to prepare others to take over leadership roles. Some organizations will likely source externally to fulfill leadership roles within the organization; however, many other organizations realize that it may be better to move individuals into these roles who already understand the business and have already been working in the organization. And, certainly, a combination may occur where organizations promote from within and look to fill some roles from external. These organizations who are interested in recruiting from within will look to identify “high potentials†already working within the organization in a variety of roles.”
Wally’s Comment: Here’s a piece on developing a leadership training program specifically for high potentials. It’s one of those “this is how I do it” posts from a practitioner.
From Lance Haun: Better Think Twice Before You Implement That Fancy Personality Test
“We were hiring an executive and the CEO wanted him to take a personality test. I pushed back. I said that we knew his qualifications already. We knew his working style (having talked candidly with some of his reports and peers). And if we are really afraid he isn’t being honest in his personality with us, why wouldn’t he do the same on a personality test? We still gave him the personality test, of course. It’s what the CEO wanted, and you can only fight that so much. Besides, I hoped that he would do well and that would be the final nail and we could make the hire. But in the back of my mind, it never felt like the right move, especially after we got the results back.”
Wally’s Comment: I’ve met too many people who imagine that personality tests are a) infallible or b) the only tool you need to hire successfully, or both. It’s scary. Lance Haun offers some thoughts on where the personality test tool fits in your toolbox.
From Josh Bersin: The Agile Model comes to Management, Learning, and Human Resources
“Over the last five years the business of software development has been totally transformed by the concepts of agile development. So is the business of Management and Human Resources.”
Wally’s Comment: “Agile” methods have been around manufacturing for quite a while and started appearing in software development in the early part of the century. Other areas of business have drawn on the software development examples since the publication of the “Manifesto for Agile Software Development.” For me, a process is agile if it stresses collaboration and rapid adaptation. Josh Bersin’s post suggests how to apply agile principles in the realm of talent management.
From HR Morning: Why managers may not promote your best people
“A lot of managers brag about how they toil to find the best candidate to fill internal promotion openings. But the folks at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business say that’s a crock. New research from the grad school indicates that favoritism drives most of those decisions. Canvassing about 300 top execs of companies with at least 1,000 workers, researchers found:”
Wally’s Comment: There are no real surprises here. Even so, it’s worth reading this article to remind yourself how easy it is to do one thing while you say another.
From Michael Haid: Top People are Prime Targets for Other Companies
“More than one in two employers are convinced that other companies are actively seeking to hire away their top people, according to survey of over 1,400 CEOs and human resource professionals from more than 700 companies across the globe.”
Wally’s Comment: If companies are so sure that others are actively poaching in their talent preserve, why don’t they act like it?
