It's a time to be learning, y'all. Learning all you can about the current state of the world economy, the future of work, HR, racism, bias, working remotely, leadership, talent development. I'm sure there are additional topics you would add to the list. Disruption is here and moving quickly. And in many cases I see us in Talent Development and HR responding valiantly. Businesses are making big decisions that will impact their workforces dramatically and I hope, positively. I want you to be poised to lean in with confidence, expertise and a positive, can-do attitude.
Staying in the know about what's happening in our field and in business will help you do that. So this week, we're going to trade information on resources we use to stay connected. That means I'm gonna need you to subscribe so that we can have a dialogue in the comments. If you haven't done that already, please do. I'll make it easy for ya. Click here. It will also give you access to a free resource on Talent Development. I promise not to spam you.
Who I Follow to Stay Current in Talent Development
To get the discussion going, I went through my list recently of the experts and groups I follow to stay abreast of talent development and business trends. While you have a lot on your plate, I firmly believe that we each need to clear space somewhere on that plate to stay connected to what's happening outside our organizations. There are terrific ideas out there on how to handle talent solutions effectively and innovatively. There's a lot happening in the economy right now. Staying close to that will give you a sense of the future of work and what the leaders that we support are dealing with right now.
So let me get the conversation started with a few suggestions of folks and groups to follow along with and why I tune in to them:
All-around Faves:
Josh Bersin - he stays on the forefront of trends happening in talent and HR and has been doing so for a long time
Deloitte's Human Capital practice - I find their research thought provoking and forward thinking
Talent Development (with training and OD, too):
Talent Strategy Group - they also lead the Talent Management Institute at UNC
ATD - we all need to be connected to an industry group to stay connected to trends and others who do what we do; ATD provides that and the Dallas chapter is just flat out a great group of folks
Training magazine - solid training info
OD Network - for those who love the fabulous intricacies and science of organizational development
HR generalist:
SHRM - because HR is hard and you need insight and connection with HR pros
Leadership:
Tom Peters - hands-down my favorite thought-leader on leadership and business; he's opinionated and bold, and he calls leaders and businesses to support their employees first
Center for Creative Leadership - tried and true leadership development guidance and programming
Business news:
Forbes - Forbes, Fortune, Inc, Wall Street Journal: pick one; I happen to visit Forbes most frequently these days
Harvard Business Review - business + leadership; and maybe I'll be cool enough to go there one day
Please note, this list is a good start. It's not all the resources I rely on, and I always recommend getting a healthy variety of perspectives. Remember, diversity of thought builds better solutions and teams. Also, I don't advocate for one resource over the other, nor for their content, and often don't agree with points-of-view shared. But I need the variety to keep me sharp. Your list should reflect your current bent and interests in the talent space. You need to stay connected, so pick a few and plug in.
Another great resource of insight I'm enjoying currently: Twitter. There are some really cool folks sharing insight and thought leadership in what they're tackling. I enjoy the quick hits of info. You might consider building your own Twitter tribe.
I haven't yet tamed my attention span for podcasts, but that's a great venue, too. There are some great topics and thought leaders using the podcast venue. A couple of examples that come to mind are Adam Grant's WorkLife and Freakonomics (while not always current topics, interesting ones to expand your perspective). I have had the opportunity to catch episodes of each and always have a take-away.
I hope that you'll add me to your list of talent development resources, as well. I'm all about supporting you and your talent development efforts no matter where you're placed. In fact, if you haven't already, sign up here and I'll share with you a free guide to the Talent Development Trifecta.
Here's what I'd love this week: post a comment below on your go-to talent, HR and business resources. Let's build a list that we can all use to stay plugged in and relevant.