Talent & Skills
Stop briefing managers and start developing them
Ben Satchwell argues that “manager activation” fails when treated as a communications task. Talking points distribute messages but don’t build the skill to handle sceptical, unscripted conversations. Adoption is decided in real capability-building discussions. Equip managers through working sessions so that they understand the why and can adapt and feedback. When a capability framework reaches the rollout stage, managers get a pack. Talking points, an FAQ, a slide or two to use in their next team meeting, perhaps a short…
Please send adults: Is immature leadership holding organisations back?
Pressure can make even accomplished leaders default to certainty, speed and control, shutting down the perspectives they most need. Karlee Fain reasons that mature leadership depends on awareness, curiosity and the capacity to tolerate discomfort, creating the conditions for wiser decisions, stronger trust and more sustainable organisational performance over time. We were already running behind when a fork went flying across the tour bus and shattered a television. Which, in case you’re wondering, is not typically how leadership decisions are…
Skills-based hiring is everywhere. So why aren’t we seeing results?
Look beyond job titles and credentials to understand what candidates can actually do. Rami Albatal explores why skills-based hiring often fails to deliver meaningful hiring change, how task level data can uncover overlooked talent, and why closer collaboration between recruitment and learning teams can strengthen internal mobility and hiring outcomes. Talent leaders today describe hiring differently than they did a few years ago. They talk more about skills, what people can do, rather than the credentials and previous roles they…
Lead with why, not what: The communication mistake every rollout makes
Ben Satchwell argues most capability framework rollouts fail in the first email by leading with what: structures, levels and process. People engage only once they understand why and what it changes for them. Translate organisational rationale into individual relevance, sequence communications purpose first, then mechanics, address appeal and threat honestly. The first communication about a new capability framework almost always leads with the what. Here is the structure. Here are the five capability domains. Here are the four proficiency levels…
From cost centre to growth engine: Enter the Chief Revenue Officer of Talent
Barb Hyman argues that talent acquisition and talent management must stop operating in silos and start acting as a single business engine. By connecting hiring, internal mobility and learning to commercial outcomes, organisations can reduce restructuring costs, deploy skills more effectively and make talent a genuine driver of value creation. Somewhere over the Atlantic, I keep circling back to a question I hear in boardrooms everywhere: why do we still treat talent as a cost centre, when in reality it…
From crappy tasks to the C-suite: fixing the female leadership pipeline
Women often outperform men on key leadership measures, particularly collaboration, relationships and crisis management, yet barriers still block their route to senior roles. David Buchanan and Steve Macaulay examine the evidence and set out what HR and L&D can do to strengthen the leadership pipeline and stop wasting valuable talent. Recent studies have found that women make better leaders than men. This is a compelling reason, beyond equality and diversity, for appointing women to senior management positions. In this article,…
Executive sponsorship is mostly theatre. Here’s what real looks like
Ben Satchwell argues most executive sponsorship is theatre: a budget sign-off, a launch email, a kick-off cameo. Prosci research shows active, visible sponsorship is the biggest driver of change success. Ben sets out five behaviours real sponsors demonstrate, from owning the why to spending political capital and handling resistance personally. Ask any capability framework project who the executive sponsor is and you will get a name instantly. Ask what that sponsor actually does, and the answer is usually thinner: they…
The future of work isn’t a younger workforce. It’s more flexibility
Sara Daw argues that L&D must look beyond traditional full-time employment to unlock the value of a multigenerational workforce. By embracing fractional, flexible and blended working models, organisations can retain experienced talent, strengthen mentoring and succession planning, and gain the fresh insights needed to build greater resilience for the future. How do L&D professionals plan for the future of work? Focus may logically fall on developing the younger workforce to ensure business longevity. But today’s workplaces are already multigenerational, and…
The skills gap putting your hiring at risk, and what it’s really costing you
Background screening is often treated as an administrative task, but its risks demand far greater capability and consistency. In this article, Mat Armstrong argues that for L&D and HR leaders, outsourcing screening should be seen not only as a compliance safeguard, but as a smarter response to skills gaps internally. Background screening is one of the most risk-sensitive tasks in the hiring process. It demands consistency, attention to detail, and the ability to spot anomalies under pressure. Yet in most…
The executive pipeline is missing neurodivergent leaders
Redefine leadership around outcomes rather than personality to stop neurodivergent talent being overlooked. Dr Jo Perkins explains how narrow executive archetypes, subjective promotion processes and low psychological safety exclude capable leaders, and why structural neuroinclusion can strengthen decision-making, innovation, resilience and organisational performance at the highest level of business leadership. One dimension remains consistently underrepresented within executive leadership: neurodiversity. Neurodiversity refers to the natural variation in how human brains function. Estimates suggest that 10–20% of the global population is neurodivergent,…
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