CIO’s Digital Agenda : IT Talent Management Innovation (III)

Hiring the right person for the right position at the right time.

People are always the most invaluable asset in businesses. “Hiring the right person for the right position at the right time,” is the mantra of many forward-thinking organizations. The question is how would you define the right people? How do you define wrong, average, mediocre, good, great or extraordinary person? Or put simply, for what should they be right? From an IT talent management perspective, are those skill gaps real, and how to close the gaps?

       IT Talent Management Innovation (III)

• How to Close the Gaps in IT Talent Management: People are always the most invaluable asset in any organization, and having the right person in the right position at the right time is always one of the biggest challenges facing any business. This is particularly true for IT, due to the changing nature of technology and the abundance of information. Some fresh mindsets, new skills, or integral digital capabilities are needed every day because we live in a time of rapidly changing digital dynamic. However, people are often the weakest link in strategy execution as well, so how to identify and close the gaps in IT talent management more specifically?

• What are the Top Skills in Being a CIO? Today's CIOs are both business strategist and technology visionary, customer advocate and talent master, they are always ready to understand new technologies impacting business, and make effective decisions in strategy execution or talent management. So what are the top skills that are most important in being a digital CIO?

• Digital Knowledge Workforce  The idea of 'knowledge worker' was first described by Peter Drucker in his 1959 book 'The Landmarks of Tomorrow.' He also points out that knowledge worker productivity is the most important challenge for management in the 21st Century. After being through more than half of the century, what’re the criteria for today’s digital knowledge workforce, when the business is transforming from the industrial age to the digital era?

• Can or Shall a Digital Business or Professional have multiple Core Competencies: A core competency is a deep proficiency that enables a company to deliver unique value to customers. Is it possible to have multiple core competencies? Are business visions about possessing a competency, or many competencies, or is it about envisioning a positive future situation and embarking on a mission to produce it?  Competencies usually emerge from a blend of people, processes, and culture... which evolves into a mindset - and can you really acquire that simply by adding people with relevant skill sets. Should you stick to your existing competencies for selecting any new venture, or should you actively go out and acquire those, if you like the nature of the opportunity and there is an organizational passion for pursuing?

• T-Shaped Talent with Innovative Thinking: With the border between different functions or disciplines continue blurring, the specialized generalists are in strong demand, or we normally call the “T-Shape” talent, and the innovative thinker -you start with a strong T and then sprinkle heavy dots randomly across the graph with varying strengths of lines connecting them and the occasional pulsing outlier dot. How do T-shaped people feel? What are their emotional strengths and weaknesses? What is their ability to make sense of a situation? Does this "profile-metaphor" take into account fit and affinity, rapport and empathy? Why is T-shaped talent so popular, and how to groom such type of talent?

The “Future of CIO” Blog has reached 1.3 million page views with 2500+ blog posting in 59+ different categories of leadership, management, strategy, digitalization, change/talent, etc. The content richness is not for its own sake, but to convey the vision and share the wisdom. Blogging is not about writing, but about thinking; it’s not just about WHAT to say, but about WHY to say, and HOW to say it. It reflects the color and shade of your thought patterns, and it indicates the peaks and curves of your thinking waves. Unlike pure entertainment, quality and professional content takes time for digesting, contemplation and engaging, and therefore, it takes the time to attract the "hungry minds" and the "deep souls." It’s the journey to amplify your voice, deepen your digital footprints, and match your way for human progression.