Thursday, September 27, 2007
Enterprise Architecture: Retaining Top Talent
I still find it intriguing when IT executives don't understand how to recruit and more importantly retain top talent...
The notion of the exit interview seems like the latest fad that has gone without accompanying common sense. Why wait till the absolute last minute to solicit feedback from someone who has zero vested interest when you can seek feedback from those who still care? What if enterprises figured out not only a way to measure sentiment before folks depart but did it in such a way that it actually had integrity?
For example, I crafted several questions that if asked to developers within your enterprise, you may actually learn something:
| | View blog reactionsThe notion of the exit interview seems like the latest fad that has gone without accompanying common sense. Why wait till the absolute last minute to solicit feedback from someone who has zero vested interest when you can seek feedback from those who still care? What if enterprises figured out not only a way to measure sentiment before folks depart but did it in such a way that it actually had integrity?
For example, I crafted several questions that if asked to developers within your enterprise, you may actually learn something:
- All other considerations being equal, what characteristic represents the ideal boss?
(a) A respected industry guru such as Martin Fowler, James Gosling, Chris Date, etc
(b) Someone who is passionate about community, bold in their communication and savage in the pursuit of excellence which includes individuals such as Todd Biske, James Governor or Brenda Michelson
(c) Someone from a project management background who has never written a single line of code in their life and doesn't care to learn, but is keenly interested in process maturity such as CMM and Six Sigma - Does the ideal boss focus on?
(a)Technical excellence and demonstrated ability
(b) Perception management
(c) Process as a substitute for competence - Does your boss understand that top talent wants to work with other top talent?
(a) Top talent is just another management buzzword
(b) Top talent is something he pursues but due to outsourcing no one wants to work there
(c) While outsourcing is important, gaining access to top talent is more important and acknowledges that outsourcing removes much of the desired collaboration
