Magazine Articles

By Margery Weinstein Any organization with a comprehensive training program has a leadership development curriculum. These programs include everything from conventional classroom learning with guest speakers to high-tech simulations and lavish retreats. There also may be mentorship thrown in, as well as multiple job rotations. Despite the well-rounded curricula, many companies don’t do enough to determine whether any of it is working. With budgets still tight in an uncertain economy, companies need to ramp up their efforts to better assess their leadership coursework.

My grandfather, George Halas, was one of the original founders of what is now the National Football League. He played professional football himself for 10 years and coached for 40. My mother had 11 children, enough to field our own team. Today, she is 89, yet very much involved in the management of one of the greatest sports enterprises, the Chicago Bears. My father’s family included educators, musicians, and military men. Growing up in the

Succession Planning By Kevin W. Bruny, SPHR, Chief Learning Officer, Chesterfield County, VA

By Amy Wu Like many people, Prudential LLC Manager Nicolo Carpaneda has a few blind spots. Prior to 2011, his No. 1 blind spot, he reveals, was he often talked a lot—perhaps too much—during meetings. “At work, I am a social person, so I used to go to meetings and frequently fill empty space with chatter,” says Carpaneda, who is based in London and a member of Prudential’s Momentum Leadership Program, a select in-house talent training and development program. “I wanted to be liked by others.”

Talent remains a toppriority for CEOs, according to PwC’s 15th Annual Global CEO Survey. Some 53 percent of global CEOs and 46 percent of U.S. CEOs see the availability of key skills as a threat to their growth prospects. Indeed, 29 percent of CEOs said they were unable to pursue a market opportunity or have had to cancel or delay a strategic initiative because of talent in the last 12 months.

>>Meridian Knowledge Solutions’ new version of its learning management system (LMS) now includes Meridian Social, an array of online tools for extending informal learning across an organization. The Meridian Global LMS, which delivers and analyzes the impact of online learning, is part of Meridian’s human capital software platform.

>> Qumu, a business video platform provider, released the Qumu Video Control Center Professional Edition, a targeted solution for AV broadcast departments. The Qumu VCC Professional Edition is a central management system that allows editors to easily contribute, share, and track videos during the post-production process.

>> Cornerstone OnDemand, a provider of cloud-based talent management software solutions, forged a strategic relationship with Visier Inc., under which Visier’s cloud-based workforce analytics and planning solutions now are available to Cornerstone clients. >> To find and acquire the people uniquely qualified to lead its global hospitality operation, Hyatt Hotels & Resorts now is combining the direct engagement of social networks with the insights enabled by Taleo Corporation solutions such as Taleo Recruiting.

Even with limited resources, you can provide effective leadership training for your team, says Mike Noble, managing partner at Camden Consulting Group. Here’s how:

By Jason W. Womack, MEd, MA I’m curious: How do you judge a “productive” day as such? Is it defined by the number of e-mails you sent and received? Perhaps how many meetings you attended? It could even be how “early” you arrived home for dinner with your family. Before you leave work, for just the next five work days, stop and handwrite on a 3x5 notecard basic things about the day, such as: