Intentional Leadership Development – How to resurrect faltering leadership development
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What Ben Franklin Knew About Leadership Development
Since his birthday was in January, there was a recent flurry of articles and posts about olde Ben Franklin. One of the articles referred to the character development system that Ben created at the age of 20. In his autobiography, Ben attributed much of his success to regularly focusing on … Continue reading What Ben Franklin Knew About Leadership Development
Leadership Development and Business Performance: Proving the Link
I’ve had several occasions over the years when executives have asked me whether the time, effort and dollars invested in leadership development makes as difference. My answer is always a qualified, “Yes”, if the leadership development focus and approach is built from the company’s strategy (and not the latest fad) … Continue reading Leadership Development and Business Performance: Proving the Link
The Sad State of Leadership Development – and a Solution
It’s estimated that U.S. companies spend over $14 billion annually on leadership development. Match that number to the abundant and growing research that finds most leadership development to be ineffective and the conclusion is a phenomenal amount of waste. A 2015 study by the Brandon Hall Group found that 81% … Continue reading The Sad State of Leadership Development – and a Solution
Uncovering Your Company’s Top Talent
Your best source of top talent may be right under your nose. I’m often impressed by the results of a robust talent assessment process. Invariably, organizations that take the time and effort to do effective talent assessments create a clear picture of the overall capability of their organization. Invariably, robust … Continue reading Uncovering Your Company’s Top Talent
Why It’s Critical to Be Even Better at Firing Than Hiring
During a tour of Google headquarters in 2014, our host described the impressive amount of time and effort the entire company put into hiring the best talent. However, he went on to proudly state that Google was even better at firing people. Why would the world’s #2 Most Admired Company … Continue reading Why It’s Critical to Be Even Better at Firing Than Hiring
The Talent Abuse Epidemic
It may be due to benign neglect or to unenlightened leadership. It’s more likely the result of reliance on long-standing unproven or pop-culture practices that just won’t go away. I’m referring to the continued spread of talent management practices that detract from an organization’s ability to thrive. This epidemic continues … Continue reading The Talent Abuse Epidemic
Crowdsourcing Leadership Development
Or The Organization Chart is Dead! Long Live Networks! My recent blog on Why Training is a Dead End got a lot of attention and response – both positive and negative. A majority of commenters concurred that the standard model of classroom training has not been effective. We have known … Continue reading Crowdsourcing Leadership Development
The Fallacy of Hiring for Culture Fit
I was talking with an executive team about the high voluntary and involuntary turnover their organization was experiencing in recently filled leadership roles. The execs’ conclusion (or excuse) for the cause of the turnover was that the exiting leaders “just didn’t fit our culture.” They felt that they just needed … Continue reading The Fallacy of Hiring for Culture Fit
The New Talent Equation: Hire Slow, Lead Easy, Develop Intentionally, Fire Fast
In 2014, I had the privilege of visiting Facebook headquarters to learn how this rapidly growing and innovative firm leverages talent to drive results. When we were talking about their approach to talent, our host said that Facebook, “hires slow, manages easy and fires fast.” My reaction was, “Wow! That’s a brilliant … Continue reading The New Talent Equation: Hire Slow, Lead Easy, Develop Intentionally, Fire Fast
