News and Views: April 28th 2007

A phony war for talent?

Steve Roesler has a provocative and thoughtful piece in which he doubts the current media frenzy about a “War for Talent” and a “Generation Gap” represents very much of the reality of what is facing organizations. As he points out, organizations are, as usual, keen to locate the reason for any shortages of suitable staff “out there” somewhere. The reality, in his view, is that the problem is internal, based on defective management attitudes, too much workplace stress, pervasive anxiety pushing people to leave the corporate world, and organizational failure to address practical problems that block the flow of what talent there is. Worth thinking about. [link]
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Have you paid your dues?

Penelope Trunk is typically outspoken and combative on the subject of people needing to “pay their dues” in the lower and middle reaches of an organization to reach the top after 40 years or so. She amasses a fine range of expert opinion to debunk the whole idea that buying some kind of ticket to the top by submitting to a soul-crushing grind of 80-hour weeks is anything worth aspiring to. Hard to disagree. [link]

Shut up and let me fail!

Hamburger Management treats communication as a one-way street. Your arrogant, macho boss tells you what to do and shouts at you for not doing it fast enough. You (the hapless subordinate) must keep your mouth shut and do as you are told, or suffer even more abuse. This piece does a great job of explaining why an approach such as this is about the best possible way to ensure that your project or business strategy will be a complete failure. [link]

More wise words about the war for talent

Here’s Bob Sutton laying into some of the total rubbish being spread around about how to deal with the (self-created) talent gaps that have started to make organizations take notice. His firm statement that so-called “management superstars” are grossly overrated (and overpaid) is enough by itself to make the piece worth reading. [link]

How to make more time for what matters

Do you need some sound advice on how to take back control of your attention and stop allowing it to be frittered away by a mass of pointless distraction? Whenever people tell me that they don’t have time to get their work done during normal hours, I know without asking that they are either wasting much of that time on distraction and pointless activities, or allowing it to be hijacked by meaningless and unnecessary meetings. If you follow this advice, you'll be surprised how much empty time you will find for the things that really matter. [link] [via]

Outsourcing: more hype than substance?

Most management fads and fashions turn out to be based on snake-oil. Outsourcing, it seems, is already showing unexpected drawbacks. According to new research, far from saving organizations money, IT and business processing outsourcing deals end up costing them far more than the work would have done had it been kept in-house; while as many as two thirds of large outsourcing contracts start to fall apart before the end of their contract terms. Not surprisingly, the only people to make real money out of outsourcing were the people actively pushing the idea: the consultants. [link]

The best place to look for thieves and cheats is . . . in the boardroom!

Research is backing up what I have been saying for some time: macho leaders risk losing any sense of ethics or morality. If that happens, they find it easy to abuse their positions for their own personal gain. A study by accountancy firm KPMG Forensic found that the typical company fraudster is a trusted male executive, sometimes even the chief executive, who will carry out as many as 20 acts of serious fraud over a period of up to five years or more. Makes you feel your trust in the guys at the top is justified, doesn’t it? I guess that loyalty, like communication, is one-way in the realm of Hamburger Management. [link]

Forget balance, try L-O-V-E

Here's Lisa Earle McLeod arguing that work-life balance is a fundamentally flawed concept. She wants us all to focus on “the four-letter word that is the real secret of success—L-O-V-E.” No, she's not trying to harken back to the 1960s and “flower power.” She wants us all to truly love what we do and know that we’re making a contribution that matters. If that means changing your job, do it. [link]

Working until you drop?

Since most of us are living longer, healthier, and more active lives, governments have not been slow to spot the potential for higher tax revenues and less pressure on social security if people can be persuaded to work well past normal retirement age. Mirko Bagaric thinks we should go on working for most of our lives. Not to please the government, but to maintain our psychic well-being. Read this piece to see if he convinces you. [link]

Is a work/personal life balance even possible?

Is work is creeping into your personal life? Are you missing out on family events and the support of your friends due to your work schedule? Are you trying to keep your work and non-work lives separate and in their right place? Dumb Little Man offers some practical tips. [link] [via]

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