Before You Make That Resolution...

As the year draws to a close, you are hopefully thinking about some resolutions for the new year. While most are of a personal nature, also consider some that may impact your professional life. But before you go too far down that road, consider the fact that many of us are not very self-aware. The things we resolve to work on might not be perceived by others to be an issue. Likewise, we may not be fully aware of the critical areas where we don't have the needed skills and where problems might be brewing. In other words, we all have blind spots that need to be addressed.

So first, make sure that you are self-aware and that the things you are choosing to work on really are areas where some skill improvement is both needed and adds value to the work you do. Of course, the best way to improve your self-awareness is to get some feedback from others. More on that in my next blog.

In the meantime, have a Happy New Year!

Looking Back, Looking Forward

This time of year inevitably sparks the inner need for reflection. Not only have we reached the end of another year, but also the end of a decade. While I have seen many year-end lists start to pop up just about everywhere, fewer decade-end lists seem to have appeared. Perhaps it is a bit too soon to put an entire decade into perspective. Nonetheless, I encourage you to think about the 00's in terms of the events and trends that we have seen in talent management and the impact they have had on your business. What rises to the top? Emotional intelligence? Engagement? The search for high potentials? ROI? Also, what are the new ideas just starting to take root today that might have an impact leading into the next decade? Share your thoughts. I look forward to the dialogue.