This post originally ran on TalentCulture and is being shared on this site with the permission of TalentCulture.  The contents herein will be part of the discussion on #TChat (8-10-2011). TChat is a Twitter chat that takes place every Wednesday from 7-8 PM EST.  Click Here to view the original post. 

For anyone that can remember the time that a latest and greatest technology emerged to bring business to the next level, we can say that it is profoundly interesting the impact that these advancements actually make on companies.

Some can probably remember the days before email and before cell phones when letters were either typed by hand and traveling sales people had to actually stop at a pay phone to verify an appointment or call home to check in.

More than ever management need to be watching technology trends and making sure their organization is equipped.

Times are changing, the proliferation of technology is moving faster than ever, and businesses are the ones that are benefiting.  At least they should be!

There are many ways that technology is leading to better business practices.  There are systems for managing customers, accounting, communications, and operations.  We are connected 24×7 if we so choose and we are able to reach all ends of the world instantly via the click of a button.

As a proponent of successful businesses being comprised of people that use technology and not just technology alone, I believe that nothing in business may be affected by emerging technology than Human Resources.  Recruiting, talent development, and employee retention are all seeing a significant boost based upon what advances in technology have to offer.

Two of the specific technologies that are revolutionizing talent and professional development more than any are IP (Internet Protocol) Based Communications such as Skype, VoIP, and Video Conferencing as well as the rapid emergence of Social Media (LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Google+).

Let’s take a look across the scope of Talent Management and explore how the aforementioned technologies as well as a few others are facilitating success for so many companies.

Recruiting New Talent

It used to be a newspaper ad or a sign in the window.  Your audience was narrow and your options were thin.  It was difficult to reach the best talent leaving positions to be filled by less than ideal candidates.

• Communications – With the ability to inexpensively bring employees in via the network  either by voice, video, or perhaps a combination such as Webex, employees can now be sourced from and potentially located anywhere.  Productivity tools allow companies to hire the BEST candidate from any location and get them integrated with the team whether they are near or far.
• Social Media – Depending on the specifics of the job, talent can be sought through massive global social networks such as Linked In, Facebook, and Twitter.  These networks allow a help wanted ad to reach millions of users who may or may not be actively seeking employment.  Recruiting and searching for talent has also never been easier due to profiles, recommendations, and other affiliations that can be easily found online using Social Media.  As an aside, Social Media has also helped many companies decide who not to hire.

Talent Development

It used to be a quarterly or yearly trip to headquarters for remote employees and or classroom learning for those already in town.  Coordinating training was intensive and time consuming.  With technology advances now learning can be routine, meaningful, and completed on demand.

• Communications – Similar to the recruiting process the continued education of employees can be accomplished using technology tools.  Webinars, Distance Learning, and E-Learning platforms all pave the way for continued education for employees regardless of where they are located.  On top of being able to create content and have employees learn and develop on demand, it also helps companies to utilize global resources to provide the education.
• Social Media – Intranets have existed for companies for some time however they were rarely used all that effectively.  With professional usage of social platforms employees can learn from one another as well as competitors by following, reading, and embracing the information that is widely available.  Content is created and shared regularly and it allows company talent to keep their finger on the pulse of the industry and any important changes within.

Employee Retention

It has been discussed to no end the impact that turnover has on a business.  Whether near or far from headquarters, companies need to focus on how they can keep people satisfied, growing, and engaged.  In the past when companies would hire remote employees they oft felt isolated and/or disconnected from the organization.  With emails and phone calls perhaps being the only regular communication eventually the employee may choose to be with an organization where they feel more involved.  Technology has changed that, and if used correctly it can assist the organization with retention allowing it to focus on strategy with key employees rather than on replacing them.

• Communications – Hearing a voice on the line is fine, it is practical, but like long distance relationships in life, eye contact means a lot.  With offerings from Free (Skype) to immersive telepresence costing millions ( Cisco, Polycom) and everything in between companies and their employees can now sit across the table and make eye contact with the click of a mouse.  Now as easy as a phone call, video can be accomplished and the quality is really good.  Video is not only beneficial for the employee, but also for the company as it forces focus and regular collaboration (We all know how easy it can be to multi-task on the phone).  Another item that is critical to many employees is flexibility, with tools that allow productivity anywhere and everywhere, (pending signal) companies can be more flexible with their resources allowing both parties  to benefit.
• Social Media – Social is a medium for even smaller companies to build their brand and create an identity for their employees. This effort can often aid in the development of company community and in some cases successful out of work friendships.  While peoples out of work activities generally don’t bare much success for the organization, happy people tend to generate more productivity.  People that feel connected to their brand and feel that they are a part of something special tend to work harder and drive greater results.  Social Media is a growing vehicle for accomplishing this.

For as long as business has been business, companies have only been as good as their people.  In almost all cases where a great product or service fails it isn’t the product or service at all, rather it is those behind it.  With emerging communication technology and proper social media integration you have the chance to be ahead of the curve.

Now technology of course isn’t all free, and choosing the technologies that are best for your organization may take some work, however, it is time well spent.   You can all but assume that the competition are looking at all the options too, some are integrating, some are watching and waiting, and you can only hope that a few are oblivious.  Nevertheless, technology will continue to advance making companies faster, smarter, and of course full of better talent.

The question is, are you embracing it, or are you hoping to ride to prosperity on the tired old horse that got you to where you are today.

IMAGE VIA hank grebe

How my law degree pays for me (even thought I don’t practice law) – A guest post by Sean McGinnis For Newmanon

I’m a lawyer.

There.

I said it.

In 1994, I graduated from University of San Diego School of Law. But I don’t practice law. Instead, I’ve spent most of the past 17 years building a career in business, working for one of the largest legal services companies in the world.

One of the questions I’m asked fairly often is “do you regret going to law school, especially since you’re not practicing law?” The short answer is “sort of”. The long answer is the subject of the balance of this blog post.

My only real regret is the money. If law school had been cost free, I would have had no regrets whatsoever. But leaving law school with over $70k in loans (in 1994 dollars) was a shock to the system. Because of that debt, I’ve been forced to make decisions that are different from the ones I might have preferred to make over the past 17 years.

That said, I can hear the question forming in your mind: “So other than a boatload of debt, Mr. McGinnis, exactly what did you get out of law school?”  I’m so very glad you asked. Here are the top three things I got from law school.

Improved writing skills

I’m not a great writer. Never was and never will be. But I used to be just awful. Law school definitely changed that. I learned more about how to structure a sentence and write persuasively during my law school education than during the previous 16 years of schooling.

I’m not so sure these aren’t things I couldn’t have learned on my own had I just applied myself. But law school FORCED me to learn them, due to the rigor of the study and the professionalism of the feedback.

Refined logical thinking

I’ve always fancied myself a logical thinker. My standardized test scores tend to back that up. But studying law is completely different. Studying the law forces one to learn to strategically unpack language in ways most humans are not naturally wired to do. Closely examining contracts and statutes can be extremely tedious, but forces a succinctness that my studies lacked. A misplaced comma can literally change the meaning of a will, trust or a contract.

Better attention to detail

I am not, and never have been a detail oriented person. I’m not a neat freak. I’m a MUCH better starter than I am a finisher. In fact, my fraternity brother often says “you’ve never finished anything in your life!”  Heh. Not true by the way.  I can easily rile up a crowd and move them toward action (maybe I should have been a political organizer or semi-professional rabble-rouser), but the end result of the effort will be far better if I then hand that off to an operation wizard who can build systems and processes around the effort to ensure consistency.

All that said, law school again FORCED a discipline in me that was lacking. When I need to, I can buckle down and pick nits over misplaced commas and the like. Before law school, I don’t think you could have forced me to do that.

There you have it.

In the end, I wouldn’t change a thing. Law school was an incredible experience and it helped shape me in ways I’m probably not even conscious of. Would I do it again? Only if I wasn’t weighed down by that debt. I’ve met a LOT of lawyers down through the years. Many of them were very dissatisfied with the practice of law, but very few of them disliked the process of attending and graduating from law school. I’d easily count myself in that company.