Archive for Articles

Why 360s Don’t Work (and how to fix them)

“The increasing popularity of 360-degree assessments seems to rely on a rock-solid stream of logic. Leaders’ behaviors are important to the organization because well-behaved leaders balance what gets done with how things get done. This balance increases their own effectiveness and their team’s engagement and performance, which translates…

Your CEO’s Next Email

Most of our clients want to elevate performance in their organization. Yet many hesitate until they have the excuse of a restructuring or redesign to take the first step. We believe there’s no bad time to start increasing performance and that the process starts with a note from…

Three Reasons HR Transformations Fail (and how to make sure yours doesn’t)

If you’re not in one or finishing one, you’re likely planning one. More than 80% of organizations say they’ve just completed or will soon start to transform their HR organization. Whether it’s driven by a technology upgrade, cost reductions or the desire to improve HR service quality, we…

The CHRO’s 5 Questions to Optimize Your HR Operating Model

Two of our most popular articles have nothing to do with HR or talent processes but with how HR works with itself. “It’s Not the Bricks, It’s the Mortar” directs HR’s attention to how work really gets done in HR not on the boxes and lines of the…

Using Experience Maps to Accelerate Development

There’s something for everyone to dislike about how companies develop talent today. Employers are frustrated that expensive learning investments yield questionable results. Managers are frustrated that complex development processes deliver little value. Employees are frustrated that companies provide them with few practical insights about how to grow their…

The Identical Suzies (and Why You Should Focus on Your High Performers)

Despite changing workplace demands and debates about how work gets done, one thing remains true: Employers love high performers. Employers love those who are willing to work harder, produce more, behave well and lead courageously. They know that high performers produce anywhere from 50% – 900% more than…

Creating a Talent Production Line

Acme Motors CEO sat down at the conference table across from VP of Production Brad Smith. Brad was responsible to design and operate the production line for Acme’s proposed XL1000 sedan. The XL’s success was critical to the company’s future profitability and the CEO had questions about how…

Delusions of Employee Development

There’s a yawning gap between the concept of employee development and its execution at most companies.  Despite spending billions of dollars on development activities, companies have few tangible benefits to show from their investment. Our talent practices audits of companies globally show that development planning is the least…

Companies Change Faster Than Leaders Do

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 . . ….

It’s Not About the Boxes: The 9-box Grid and What Really Matters

“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,…