SHRM Blog

It’s that time of year again.  The annual opportunity to plan, scheme, and build a budget.  Generally, this is the time of year when we think about what new programs or technologies we could add in the upcoming year.  We dream of slick technology or powerful new programs that we could implement if we are lucky enough to be given the budget to do it.  It’s a fun time of year.  Planning and thinking big thoughts is important.

But, this year, while you plan and dream and budget, set aside a little time for another powerful exercise that...

I was born in July 1963, several months before a defining moment for the Baby Boomer generation occurred—the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.  I was a “latch key kid” – I walked home from elementary school to an empty house because both of my parents worked.  In fact, I started walking to school by myself in first grade after everyone else had left the house. I wasn’t supposed to use the record player but nearly every morning I used those few minutes before school to play a 45 of Tommy Roe’s hit song “Dizzy” over and over again. [If...

Election 2012 is over. It could be weeks until you hear anyone “approve this message” again. That’s the good news.

The ominous news is that the fiscal cliff is dead ahead. Both the short- and long-term fates of the economy may be altered by what Congress does in the coming months.

“Fiscal cliff” was first coined by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke. It refers to the combination of automatic tax increases and spending reductions that will occur on or around Jan. 2, 2013, if Congress does nothing.

Congress must address the Bush tax cuts, sequestration and...

In last month’s blog, we discussed the importance of providing skilled coaching during experiential learning activities to produce desired developmental results.  It is essentially an insurance policy for making experiential learning successful.  Since these activities typically involve a high degree of personal and organizational investment of time and resources, their design is critical for return on investment.  So let’s examine how to structure coaching throughout these experiences.

Coaching should begin prior to the developmental experience to help leaders understand the developmental objectives of the experience.  Especially in global leadership development, where experiential learning can introduce people to new...