How will leadership change in the cognitive era?

by Chris Cancialosi, Ph.DChris-Cancialosi_avatar_1459267712-400x400

Technological innovation is continuing to accelerate on a hockey stick growth curve. Companies like IBM, Microsoft, Facebook, and Amazon are bringing cognitive computing capability to the masses.

And it’s only a matter of time until nearly every aspect of our work and personal lives are impacted.

These advances are still relatively new. Time will tell when and how they change things, but it will happen, and it will happen quickly. In a recent article, Steve Denning reminds us that a repeating pattern of massive transformation has occurred regularly over the last 250 years.

With massive change at our doorstep, now is the time to begin a collective discussion to help leaders navigate this new age. Continue reading

Leadership styles must change in the new era of “always on” transformation

photo 1by Lars Fæste and Jim Hemerling

In the face of disruptive technologies, globalization, and a volatile marketplace, leading companies are committing to a new kind of transformation.

Instead of pursuing it as a onetime, crisis-driven initiative and instead of focusing primarily on cutting costs, they are committing to “always on” transformation — profoundly changing their strategy, business model, operating model, people, and organization on an ongoing basis in order to stay ahead.

The new approach demands a new kind of leadership — leadership that is not just directive but also inclusive and that has an appetite for risk, says a new e-book published by The Boston Consulting Group (BCG). Transformation: Delivering and Sustaining Breakthrough Performance draws on the firm’s work in more than 400 transformations that generated a median annual impact exceeding $340 million through cost cuts, revenue increases, the application of capital efficiency levers, and improvements in organizational performance. Continue reading

The 10 Best Business Lessons Of 2016

Here’s a list of the best advice we’ve given for building and growing a successful organization.

Over the last year, there have been a lot of changes on the business landscape from Yahoo being sold to Verizon to Gawker going bankrupt. Along the way we’ve talked to CEOs of big companies, first-time entrepreneurs, and those working hard every day to make something new. Many have gone against the grain and looked at practices that may seem unintuitive but ultimately helped them find success.

To help you prepare for making change at your own company in 2017, we’ve complied some of the best business lessons we learned this year.

Lesson 1: Look Outside The Box When Sourcing Talent

Though unemployment has been on a steady decline over the last few years, tech jobs are still in high demand. More often than not they are hard to fill. Take the example of security: Cybersecurity jobs are very hot right now, and most companies are having trouble finding and cultivating the right talent. The answer to this problem may be to think bigger. Telecommunications services firm Level 3 has actually found success in sourcing security talent not from their hard labor skills but from their passions, namely from musicians.

Though many people do not know the technical skills that security professionals need, the company found that those adept at music were able to learn how to do the job and excel at it. By casting a wider net and seeking talent from out-of-the-box sources, a few companies have been able to fill gaps where others are still searching long and hard.

You can read about this strategy here: Musicians May Be The Key To The Cybersecurity Talent Shortage Continue reading

Why leadership development doesn’t change some people

By Jack Zengerjz

Statistics show that 40% of people are unaffected by leadership development. Here are the steps you should follow to turn the non-responders around.

My firm Zenger Folkman measures leadership effectiveness using a 360-degree feedback process in which 15 or so subordinates, peers, and the boss pool their perceptions of a leader. They complete an on-line assessment and the results are then passed onto the leader who was assessed. By repeating that measurement every 12-18 months, the organization can monitor the collective amount of change that comes from any development program. The difference scores tell you whether or not the leader in question has made significant change. Continue reading

Head of HR for North America

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Our Client

A leading NYSE publicly traded global technology services/software engineering company.  Headquartered in  PA, the client is focused on delivering results through best-in-class software engineering, innovation, strategy, consulting and design capabilities. With over twenty years of experience in the information technology industry, the client’s nearly 20,000 employees serve customers in over 25 countries across North America, Europe, Asia and Australia.   The client appears on FORBES 25 Fastest Growing Public Tech Companies and on FORTUNE’S 100 Fastest Growing Companies.

Job Description

Reporting to the Chief People Officer, the Head of HR for North America will be responsible for human resources strategy and operations/execution, serving the people and talent needs for employees at all levels.   The head of HR for North America will manage 7-10 direct reports and lead a total team of 15 serving an employee population of over 1300 professionals throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. Continue reading