Insights

A lens for your talent conversations: 30-30-40 Conversation™ Rule

Talent management is about great conversations. The lens I use to guide these conversations has come from years of watching people interact, being in some great conversations, and working with some friends on a product to help others have great conversations. Here is my 30-30-40 rule. Use it to refine your leadership, peer, and team conversations.

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Ingredient #1: Owning your development

Talent management is about great conversations. One conversation that is powerful is around career development. Looking into the future to plan a career or commit to mastery is exciting, and not easy. Personal ownership is the big key to success, and that is step 1. Here are some tips for owning your own career development and some books/resources that might help.

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7 Books That Make Great Gifts For A New Job

Transitions are exciting and scary at the same time. Within the transitions related to our work, there is a real opportunity for a great conversation. Here is a list of my recommendation of 7 books that make great gifts for a person starting their first job. Each of the potential to create a perspective for someone that will help them manage through the highs and lows of that first role. Some equip people with specific things they can do, while others equip them with a perspective they need to keep. Both are equally important. Talent management is about great conversations. These gifts have the opportunity to start one.

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Nice Matters: A short story

Talent management is about great conversations. Sometimes, those conversations are a simple Thank You. Today I was reminded about how it is good for someone to call and thank you for helping them. Great conversations don’t have to be long and about moving mountains – they just have to be genuine and nice. Remember that Leaders. Just find moments to be real, present, and nice. Talent management is about being present.

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Beware of MORE Leadership

Talent management is about great conversations. Ultimately, great conversations are laced with the right words, the right intent, and the right actions. MORE is a word that is part of startup, growth, and leadership conversations, but beware of it. Ultimately it causes motion, but erodes most of the other things that are part of great relationships. Here are 5 reasons why MORE is dangerous.

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Helping Talent Emerge

Talent management is about helping people be aware of who they are and apply it in such a way that it makes a huge impact. I lead a program called Shifting Gears that does that for people that have been off for over 3 months, and the lessons that I have learned can be applied to individuals and leaders trying to make the most of the talents they possess.

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Our Actions Follow Our Hearts: A story and a challenge

Talent management is about great conversations. Sometimes those conversations reveal feelings or frustrations that go deep. Left alone, these feelings and frustrations will impact performance. While leaders can help, ultimately we own our own attitudes and it is important to realize it and make a choice. Because our attitudes will impact the people closest to us, and ultimately will impact the people we are trying to help through our work. It always works that way. Always.

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New word for your leadership toolbox – Capacity

Talent management is about great conversations. One topic that should be part of every conversation is our capacity and how it is being stretched, grown, shared in the work that we do. Leadership development is about helping leaders do it for themselves and using that experience to become capacity planners for their team. What is leadership? One answer is being a capacity developer of talent.

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3 Books That Make Great Graduation Gifts

College graduation is coming. There is lots of talent coming into the workforce, and here are three books I believe make great gifts for new graduates. Talent management is about having great conversations. These gifts have the potential to start those conversations.

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How do I know you are a high potential? My 5 Qualifiers

A key part of talent management is identifying, developing, and retaining your high potentials. Here are five things I look for in the identification of high potentials. The students that inspired this post were just highlighted at the The Michigan Economic Summit that was put on by Governor Rick Snyder of Michigan. It was a great event.

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4 Keys To Successful Transitions

4 Keys To Successful Transitions

Talent management is about great conversations. Preparing for and managing through transitions is something we can prepare for, and there are conversations we own as inner work and through the work we do with our community. Here are 4 keys to preparing for and navigating transitions.

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