Blog

What does my leader do . . .

Much is made about all the responsibilities a leader has, yet many of those go unseen by people that might benefit from knowing. People would probably be surprised by all the things a leader has to deal with, and if they knew they might be able to help. This post uses a letter sent my a worried family member to a the leader of an artillery battery to make the point and remind us some of the responbilities of a leader have not changed much.

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Assessments: 4 Traps and 1 Truth

Assessments in talent management – whether it is selection, high potential development, career development, leadership development, or any of the other pieces – is important. Here are 4 traps and a truth around using asssessments so you can make a good buy instead of being sold something that will not work.

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Choices. (career and talent management)

Career development planning is about choices. It is about thinking about what we want to be doing in the future, and preparing ourselves to meet a goal for prepare ourselves for a different path. At the heart of talent management is preparing the individual to bring an awareness of self to this conversation and helping the leader listen, guide, direct, challenge, and ultimately partner. Talent management is about great conversations, and at the heart of those conversations is ultimately a choice.

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A great question to end your week (or your meeting)

What are you most proud of. Talent management and leadership is about understanding people and engaging them in the process and problems of running an organization. Of getting work done. Here is a question to renew energy and share what matters to them.

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Onboarding Equation . . and 4 Ways to Influence it

Talent management is a lot of things, but great conversations during transition is a big part of it. Chip Conley shares an equation in his book Emotional Equations that captures the essence of Selection AND Onboarding the right way. Whether it is an internal leadership transition or a new hire, use this formula to manage your talent to a successful start.

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A Hmmm # for leaders – What’s in your mail?

What is the impact of a personal note from a leader? Part of talent management is effectively connecting with your people and showing them that you care. Based on a recently published article, the mail is where you will have the least competition for their attention. People love letters!

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Time – How to have this discussion

Leadership and talent management is about helping organizations and people succeed. Time is almost always a barrier, and here is a classic tool from Stephen Covey that can help sort through things.

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What do you do?

The #1 question to ask in any talent management process, and probably the most difficult to answer. Great Leadership / Followership starts with a clear target, and this is it.

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trU Tips 17+ – Three comments that drove me to write it

Talent management and leadership is about lots of things, but at the core it is about an understanding of ourselves, a willingness to share our perspective(and listen to the perspective of others), and a commitment to the time it will take to get a solution. The habits are core to the talent calendar.

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Book Review: Steve Jobs Biography (by Walter Isaacson)

Steve Jobs is an interesting person, and his biography by Walter Isaacson is a great read at many levels. Here is a brief view of that book and 3 things I take away. Leadership development, talent management, self awareness through failure – it is all there.

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Are you a BUT or AND leader?

Small words that have a big impact – BUT / AND. A cornerstone of leadership development is communication, which is part what we say and part getting people to listen. Talent Management is about conversations that happen and are healthy exchanges. One of these words sets a healthy tone for an exchange, and the other too often shuts it down.

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Universal truths: Leadership, Parenting . . . and conflict

Professional development and talent management is often focused on the skills we need at work. Many of those same skills apply to our lifes/roles outside of work. I was reminded of that recently when I went to a parenting seminar and learned something that most leaders need to know – managing conflict and teaching your children to do it well.

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