Skills Development

Nearly half of American jobs could be automated in “a decade or two,” according to a recent argument by two researchers in The Economist. The jobs of everyone from telemarketers to title examiners to watch repairers to library technicians have become endangered by advances from the Internet of things, while many of those that have been deemed safe from such disruption are hands-on healthcare-related occupations: mental-health social workers, oral surgeons, prosthetists and recreational therapists. Yet, as this phenomenon unfolds, it underscores areas of opportunity, not only for individuals, but also for companies organized around their skills.

Making the connection between leadership and the company bottom line isn’t revolutionary. But Gallup estimates that 70% of U.S. workers are not engaged at work, and puts the cost of disengagement at $550 billion per year.

At the 2015 Smart Manufacturing Summit in Indianapolis, attendees participated in an exchange of ideas and best practices on how to recruit the best technical talent. Their ideas and experiences are shared here.

We tend to think of the United States as being rather culturally diverse. But American culture (especially its business culture) is very old and complex. Despite the unique melting pot of the American cultural landscape, American pluralism cannot begin to compete on the diversity scale with what’s arising in a few centers of international business outside the Western world, in places like Dubai. These four lessons I learned doing business there will help any CEO build effective teams.

For an organization to grow, identifying and grooming the future leaders of your company is of utmost importance. You would think with all of the books being written on leadership that the labor force would be more skilled in leadership abilities. In fact, there remains a significant gap in leadership skills within the corporate hallways of America.

Determining whether to be transparent or not is a hot debate, significantly impacting corporate culture and the talent management process.

It’s not for everyone, but here are six steps to consider if you are thinking of capping your chief executive career as a coach.

The inability to find enough people with the ‘right’ skills is inhibiting growth and will worsen. Apprenticeships and vocational training are part of the solution. Here’s a practical way to improve the human capital needs of your company.

As innovative CEOs have discovered, executive assistants can do much more to help them perform effectively, beyond simply digitizing what used to be paper tasks. Modern EAs are conducting corporate research, providing advice on community outreach and even subbing for their bosses at meetings. Here are some tips on how to effectively utilize your EA.

Executive education programs can provide your team with a broader perspective, fresh insight and clear action items. Here's how to ensure an executive education programs pays off in business results.