CategoryTalent Management

Applying the 5As Framework

By Sean P. Murray
September 18, 2009
5 Min read
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Often when working with clients to design and deliver leadership training, I’m told to create an experience where participants have fun, are fully engaged in the program and learn new skills.  Recently, I partnered with a client, a major U.S.-based insurance company, that decided to raise the bar and set the expectation that learners would also apply what they learned back on their job in a way that impacts business results. To achieve this goal we applied the 5As Framework to the design and...

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U.S. Army Embraces Wikis

By Sean P. Murray
August 25, 2009
4 Min read
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In July, the U.S. Army broke with long-standing tradition and began encouraging all personnel to contribute to U.S. Army Field Manual.  The Army Field Manual, which contains detailed information and how-to’s, serves as a playbook for soldiers operating in the field.  The New York Times reports: The goal, say the officers behind the effort, is to tap more experience and advice from battle-tested soldiers rather than relying on the specialists within the Army’s array of colleges and research...

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A Netflix Competition Highlights Trends in Talent Management

By Sean P. Murray
August 5, 2009
3 Min read
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In October 2006, Netflix announced a competition to significantly improve the recommendation system currently used at the popular movie rental site.   Teams and individuals were competing for a $1 million prize.   Last week, an article in the New York Times reported that two finalist teams have been selected and a winner will be declared in September. There was no shortage of entries for this competition, so what was it that contributed to the success of these two teams?  When pressed, these...

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What Cancer Patients Can Teach Us About Leadership

By Sean P. Murray
July 14, 2009
4 Min read
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Almost everyone is familiar with Lance Armstrong’s journey from cancer survivor to seven time Tour de France champion.  In his autobiography, It’s Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life, he credits much of his success to the mental transformation he went through while enduring a gruelling treatment regimen and narrowly escaping death.  Throughout this phase in his life, Armstrong maintained his commitment to return to professional cycling, something he cared deeply and passionately about...

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Using Soccer to Teach Leadership

By Sean P. Murray
July 6, 2009
4 Min read
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Soccer is by far the world’s most popular sport.  In many ways, soccer, or football as it is known outside of America, transcends the sports world and is deeply embedded in the culture of most countries.  The hype and media saturation of soccer is going to increase steadily as we approach World Cup 2010 in South Africa.  The Confederation Cup Final, June 28th featuring the United States versus Brazil, was an exciting prelude to what we can expect next summer.                                   ...

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How do you build trust?

By Sean P. Murray
June 16, 2009
3 Min read
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The following is the fourth in a series of five questions and corresponding answers on leadership. See questions:  How to motivate and inspire others? What is the biggest challenge for leaders? What steps or strategies do you use to develop others? 4. How do you build trust with your team and peers? There are a few things I try to keep in mind.  First, I always try to keep the interest of others above my own.   People will trust you if they believe you have their best interest at heart.  A good...

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Developing Talent

By Sean P. Murray
June 2, 2009
2 Min read
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The following is the third in a series of five questions and corresponding answers on leadership. (See questions #1 How to Motivate and Inspire Others? &  #2 What is the biggest Challenge for Leaders?). 3. What steps or strategies do you use to develop others? The first step is to understand what people want for themselves.  I always ask my direct reports, where do you want to be in 5 years?  It’s surprising how many leaders simply assume they know where people want to go.   I want to know...

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What is the Biggest Challenge for Leaders?

By Sean P. Murray
May 15, 2009
2 Min read
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 The following is the second in a series of five questions and corresponding answers on leadership.  (See question #1: How to Motivate and Inspire Others? ) 2. What is the biggest challenge in leading an organization? Communication is the most important and most challenging task when leading an organization.    Leaders must communicate organizational goals and strategies, especially during difficult times,  but there is also the need to communicate at a personal level with everyone in the...

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WolframAlpha: The Answer Engine

By Sean P. Murray
May 12, 2009
3 Min read
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When I was studying mathematics at the University of Puget Sound in the early 1990s my professors were extremely excited about a newly purchased, and quite expensive software program called Mathematica.  There were only a few copies available to our department, but when I got my hands on one I immediately recognized the power of Mathematica as a teaching tool.  You could type in a complex function, press a button and voila, there was a graphic representation in two or three dimensions.  Then...

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Deliberate Practice

By Sean P. Murray
April 20, 2009
6 Min read
D

The common attribute of high performers in sports, music and chess is not talent, as is so often assumed, but 10,000 hours of deliberate practice.  This begs the question, what is deliberate practice and can it be applied to individuals and organizations to improve the quality of business leadership?  The following is an adaptation of a set of principles defined by Geoff Colvin in the book, “Talent is Overrated.”  By studying the principles of deliberate practice and how successful business...

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