One of the dramatic results of the current economic situation is that many executives have to reorganize and restructure their workforces, often with little notice or planning. Unfortunately, in the ensuing shuffle, potential talent can be mismanaged or lost. In fact, m... More »

Human Capital , Senior Leaders & Executives

Business Impact , Economy , Measuring and Evaluating

Remember that annoyingly perfect girl who sat in the front row of your ninth-grade English class, had a panic attack when she got less than an A+ on an assignment, and always received special attention from the teacher? Just like your classroom's prized pupils, the offi... More »

Human Capital

Business Impact , Economy , Measuring and Evaluating

With a 10 percent reduction in his company's workforce in late 2008, Stanley Works Chairman and CEO John Lundgren turned his concentration to keeping his employees "motivated, energized, engaged, and focused on company goals." The tool maker posted a better-than-expecte... More »

Learning & Development

Business Impact , Career Development , Change Management , Competencies , Economy , Human Performance Improvement , Managing the Learning Function , Training and Development - General

During the big recession of the 1980s, McKinsey - the management consulting company I was working for - gave some great advice to their clients: pare back almost every corporate function except sales and marketing. General business opinion was on their side; Thomas Wats... More »

Sales Enablement

Change Management , Economy , Innovation , Selling Skills , Trends

In the current economy, some companies are choosing to maintain their highly targeted leadership development programs to retain their best talent. But in an era where the media highlights charismatic leaders such as Steve Jobs and Larry Ellison, JDS Uniphase has chosen ... More »

Career Development

Assessment , Business Impact , Career Development , Competencies , Economy , Leadership Development , Measuring and Evaluating