First, what does “jump the shark” mean? It was a term coined in Hollywood for the episode of a TV show where you knew the show was past its prime and it started doing crazy, stupid stuff, off on a mission to get ratings back. It started with the Happy Days ™ (© 2009 CBS Studios Inc. All rights reserved.) episode where Fonzie, played by Henry Winkler in leather jacket and swim trunks, jumped over a shark while on water skis. Diminishing returns ensued.
Are you measuring various elements of your talent strategy and trying anything to desperately put a kick into the numbers to get them to go in the right direction? Or, worse yet, are you not measuring at all, but continually reinventing projects to improve engagement, increase retention, or some other initiative? read more »
I was recently nearly knocked out of my seat during a discussion about Talent Management (as beautifully analogized to sports talent by Steve Boese, Tim Sackett, and Lance Haun). The panelists were talking about finding the best talent. They were illustrating that success is critical in finding the best talent, that is, the best talent for the team, not exactly the very best expert ever for a given position. I completely agree with this. It is critical to match talent to the team dynamics. Very few people work in a vacuum, thus their surrounding co-workers and the culture of the organization should be huge considerations when hiring or managing your succession planning. As I have mentioned in my blog before, Aquire even uses a 9-Box matrix to illustrate how applicants fit in a “skills compared to culture” axis. read more »
Recently, I have been hosting, speaking at, or attending several conferences. Most of them involve human resource professionals. I’ve heard several comments like, “I wish they had put more practioners and less consultants and vendors on the stage.” Trust me, the meeting organizers have tried. Also trust me when I say, “you may have gotten a better education because the show organizers didn’t succeed at that mission.” 
