The Talent Advantage: How to Attract and Retain the Best and the Brightest - Hardcover

by Alan Weiss (Author), Nancy MacKay (Author)

A fun and creative guide to keeping customers ecstatically happy

Businesses are used to competing for market share, inexpensive labor, and time-to-market, but today's biggest competition among top firms may be the war for top talent. Today's best organizations are reaching across traditional geopolitical and cultural boundaries to attract and retain the best and brightest workers. In The Talent Advantage, authors Weiss and MacKay tap into their long experience as experts in talent recruitment and retainment to explain why today's business leaders must take firm control of the talent hunting process to ensure great hires. Here, they show leaders exactly how to do that.

Front Jacket

If you were applying for your job today, would your human resources department hire you?

Your answer reflects directly on your company's ability to recognize true talent. To build business, move development into new areas, and consistently innovate, it's necessary to have the contacts and understanding of the best in your industry. A handful of HR representatives has the business savvy to make and nurture those connections. But the majority of that knowledge rests in the hands of the most successful executives, who often have their eye fixed on the bottom line, instead of the line of succession, that can make or break an organization.

As executive coaches with a deep understanding of change and challenges in a wide range of industries, Alan Weiss and Nancy MacKay deliver a straight-from-the-hip critique of the structural obstacles that impede true progress, and the solutions-based, accountability--driven measures that you must take to nurture profitable talent while ensuring business growth and success. "The Talent Advantage" gives you the edge with: Guidance on a viable succession plan for leadership positions at every level Examples of executive leadership crises, the obstacles they faced, and how they fixed their problems Ways to create accountability for executives, HR, and new employees themselves as their careers develop Techniques to give HR a voice and real power in the building of both businessand talent Ways to break down the communication silos that inhibit information sharing throughout a company

Enriched by their broad knowledge of business growth and executive psychology, Weiss and MacKay show you how to become an effective, well-rounded leader. Their guidance will give you the tools to build the skills, the savvy, and the structure your organization needs to attract and retain top talent, maximize departmental efficiency, and create new avenues of profitability.

Back Jacket

Praise for THE TALENT ADVANTAGE

"The Talent Advantage gives each of us the opportunity to learn new ways to accelerate leadership development. Do yourself and your employees a huge favor--invest your time in reading this book." --PETER BLAKE CEO, Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers

"The Talent Advantage is the quintessential road map for anyone who wants to become a successful business leader!" --BJORN MOLLER CEO, Teekay Corporation

"Drawing on a wide variety of practical examples, the authors explain how to create extraordinary leaders through effective succession planning. The book is a fantastic mix of stories, wisdom, and practical advice." --CRAIG CAMPBELL Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers

"The Talent Advantage will make you think about talent management in a new way. The book is full of practical strategies that can be applied immediately to strengthen your talent pool." --PAUL WILSON President, Mark's Work Wearhouse

"Talent is an essential competitive advantage in the new economy. This book is full of practical tips and techniques to give companies an edge in the war for talent." --CHAD HILEY Vice President, Human Resources, Barrick Gold Corporation

Author Biography

Alan Weiss is a consultant, speaker, and bestselling author of Getting Started in Consulting and Million Dollar Consulting. His firm, Summit Consulting Group, Inc., has worked with clients such as Merck, Hewlett-Packard, GE, Mercedes-Benz, State Street Corporation, The Times Mirror Company, the Federal Reserve, The New York Times Company, and over 500 other leading organizations. His blog is www.contrarianconsulting.com.

Dr. Nancy MacKay is President and cofounder of MacKay & Associates Advisors Inc. She coaches and facilitates six CEO networks involving over seventy CEOs. Her clients include Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers, Teekay Corporation, PricewaterhouseCoopers, RBC Royal Bank, TELUS, Methanex, Best Buy, and many other leading organizations. For more information, please visit www.mackayandassociates.ca.