We hear time and again from CIOs that people are their biggest asset. In this week’s news roundup for IT leaders, we bring you articles that focus on some of the people issues CIOs may be facing.
Generational divides
Writing for Entrepreneur, Kim Cassady, VP of Talent at Cornerstone OnDemand, points out, “Technology's rapid evolution has led to a surge of digital tools in the workplace. In some cases, it's created entirely new industries. But it's also created a gap between generations.” Cassady argues that leaders should embrace these differences as opportunities. She provides three suggestions for bridging the gaps.
Automation
In TechCrunch this week, Brian Heater dives deep into the complex issue of automation and its impacts on job loss, the economy, and the future of work. He asks, “Are we living in historically unprecedented times for job loss? Or is this part of a cycle that predates even the Industrial Revolution? Is it possible to retrain our workforce for these changes? Or will the gap between educated and non-educated workers only continue to grow?” Read his take here.
Engagement
Dov Baron, founder of Full Monty Leadership, executive coach, keynote speaker, podcaster, and author, is an expert on inspiring loyalty through leadership. In this interview in Forbes, Baron suggests that engagement is the key to keeping millennials on board, happy, and loyal. He says, “This is a time of entrepreneurship and we live in the most entrepreneurial country in the world in the U.S. Therefore, your employees need to be encouraged into that, so you need to build entrepreneurial processes where they can think like an entrepreneur inside your environment. They will build you a business for you, and that way you're not restricting them. They have autonomy. They have all the things that they want and they add a ton of value to you.” Read the full interview here.
Soft skills
Is adaptability more important than agile expertise in IT candidates? Perhaps. Jennifer Shappley, senior director of talent acquisition at LinkedIn, shares some recent research and six of the most in-demand soft skills right now, including collaboration, leadership, and culture fit. She goes on to describe why each of these skills matter, and how to spot them in potential employees.
Middle management
Writing for Quartz, Alison Randel posits that focusing on middle management is a way for leaders to future-proof their organizations. She writes, “Middle managers are the people that need to be aware of environmental conditions, armed with the skills to deal with them, and given the freedom to respond to the needs of their team and the market. Without that foundation, any vision of a fast, contemporary, resilient way of operating is doomed to failure.” Yet, Randel also points out that being stuck in the middle also comes with its downsides. She urges leaders to redefine the role of middle manager and provides four ways to do so.
