It’s a simple but powerful truth: companies change faster than leaders do. Companies evolve as they respond to market opportunities, economic cycles, regulatory changes and assorted strategic challenges. Their evolutionary pace has accelerated as globalization brings more competitors and technology disrupts traditional service models. Leaders . . . well, leaders try very hard and have […]
“A bad carpenter blames his tools” The talent review is a well-accepted and increasingly common element of how organizations manage talent. They see the value in understanding an individual’s potential to advance and using that information to better plan for succession. Which tool should guide that discussion, however, is increasingly under debate. The classic […]
It’s unfortunately still fashionable to sell companies bias training to help their leaders reduce bias in performance management. While the intentions of these efforts are admirable, the research is clear that anti-bias training rarely has a lasting effect. Science shows that it doesn’t provoke a long-term change in racial bias and in other cases it […]
It’s a rare individual who can architect, build and execute talent strategies that actually drive business results. We describe the six factors that differentiate great talent managers and why they’re essential for success.
Should you change your definition of potential given the workplace changes after the pandemic? While the intuitive answer to that question after two years of turmoil would seem to be “yes,” the facts about potential guide us to a more nuanced conclusion.
Your leaders are your most powerful builders of talent. So why aren’t you using them that way?
The CEO was visibly frustrated just a few minutes into the CHRO’s presentation.
“I’m sorry, but I’m confused” she said. “This feels like the 10th different process that HR has asked our teams to absorb just this year. Why this one now?”
After the most challenging four months for business in a century, many companies can start to focus their attention more than a few days in the future. This turn towards normalcy raises questions about how to manage and reward performance in such an unprecedented year. We suggest that there are no clear rules but that there is a logical approach that can guide how to best (re)-set goals and fairly evaluate at the end of the performance cycle.
There’s no good way to dress up the dreaded middle rating and no way to convince anyone that being “average” is absolutely fine. If you have these conversations coming up, here are a few practical ideas to make them easier and more productive.