Good talent is worth fighting for. At senior levels of an organization, the ability to adapt, to make decisions quickly in situations of high uncertainty, and to steer through wrenching change is critical. But at a time when the need for better talent is increasing, big companies continue to find it difficult to attract and [...]

Below, you will find some of the more interesting career sites and graduate programs out there today. Plus, a couple of corporate student competitions which have become a successful way of sourcing young talent and  helping businesses find innovative ideas and solutions to some of their biggest challenges. I have also included an interesting thread [...]

The blogosphere and media has of recent years focussed on the characteristics and traits of people classified as either Generation X or Generation Y, and the interplay of tensions that may or may not exist between the two and their seniors in the so called Baby Boom Generation. Meanwhile, if the ILO is to [...]

“I would tell you to go to Hell but I work there and I don’t want to see you every day.”

The above quote is apparently available as a fridge magnet in the USA …. no comment required!

Writing in the FT recently Lynda Gratton asked readers if they could feel the wind of change heading for [...]

The prominence of demographic change and skill shortages has recently been overtaken by the financial crisis of the past two or so years. With unemployment at record highs during that period, it would be easy to assume we no longer have a skills shortage problem. However, skills shortages still exist in many industries, and the [...]

I have been fortunate enough to read “really interesting information” about the world of work over the past 12 months – perhaps some of the best information available to net users. Thanks largely in part to three of the 8 or so social networks for which I am a member. Isn’t it great how linkedIn, facebook, and [...]

Go to the people

Live among the people

Learn from them

Love them.

Start with what they know,

Build on what they have.

But of the best leaders,

When their task is accomplished,

Their work is done,

The people will remark,

“We have done it ourselves.”

Chinese Poem

My family recently moved home again and I found this poem in one of my old work diary’s - it had been tucked [...]

Or aquisition? Thanks to better human resource management practices over the last few years, HR will merge/marry with other functions such as marketing and communications. Social media and emerging web technologies in general are used for recruiting (finding prospective employees), marketing (creating business opportunities), building relationships (getting connected with the community) and in general feeding relevant [...]

The media reported last Monday that the “UK is officially out of recession”, business sentiment and a reality check by the end of the week on Friday suggested that leaders now fear a W-shaped recovery. Over the weekend some better news from Austria, where the manufacturing output expanded at fastest pace since March 2008 (Key Points: [...]

In our research it is HR people whom offer up some of the most critical and negative feedback about the function. Many of the HR people I know well, are tired of being asked the same question, usually by HR and about HR.

The business landscape has changed. Downsizing, globalization, and social media, along with a [...]

Marc’s previous post discussing “the very fat and lazy” put me in mind of the HR Director at BKV, Eleonóra Szilágyi Szalainé. I have met many HR Directors over the past several years; and I don’t recall this one as being either exceptional or typical, but it appears that she did develop a uniquely personal [...]

My first weblog! I have enjoyed the gift of the gab before I ever kissed the Blarney stone, so hopefully I can put it to good use on this blog! As for Mr Russell, he is still unpacking and I hope enjoying his new surroundings somewhere deep in the French countryside – looking forward to [...]