Talent Insights

Stay up-to-date on the latest talent trends, tips and best practices.

So, you have been offered a business coach…now what?

If you have not previously worked with a business coach, often referred to as an executive coach, the basis for selecting one can seem perplexing. What really matters? Congratulations! You've just received word from your manager (or other organizational sponsor, such as a Human Resources/Talent Management or other business leader) [...]

Be the Example

As an executive and teaming coach for over 20 years I have seen the boom and bust of talent development. This boom and bust typically parallels the overall economy, but it also often follows the fortunes of individual firms resulting from challenging financial situations or changes in control from a [...]

Candidate Specs That Make Sense

Looking to hire for a key role in your organization? Now is the time to implement a new approach to interviewing, assessing, and selecting talent. Your first step? Begin by developing well-thought-out job and candidate specifications. After prioritizing the outcomes you are targeting to achieve over the next 18-24 months [...]

When More Job Candidates Are Not the Answer

Let’s say a friend or colleague seeking to fill a key job has interviewed several strong candidates and narrowed their focus to one favored candidate. But they don’t feel ready to move forward with a job offer. So, they message the recruiter and other colleagues that they’d like to see a couple more candidates. Why? What will a couple more candidates do for him? Convince him the candidate in hand that meets the requirements is the best choice after all? Surface the “world-beater” candidate he hoped for all along? Simply postpone making a decision he seemed unsure of in the first place?

Interviewers: Talk less; build rapport more.

“I thought talking was building rapport”, you say. Sure, to the extent you are only talking about 15% of the interview time. While talking more may help you and the candidate feel like the interview is more conversational, it has one major drawback – you get less data for assessing the candidate.

Building rapport is about enabling greater openness and sharing. It is a critical element to enable learning about the “whole person” in the interview process. It is the “whole person” who ultimately shows up on the job and not just the polished interviewee persona.