The Talent Mandate: Why Smart Companies Put People First
“The Talent Mandateoffers marvelous insights and practical tools around six essential talent strategies—grounded in CEO expectations and translated to specific actions that leaders can implement in modern organizations. Useful for all leaders committed to winning though exceptional talent.”—Dave Ulrich, Professor, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, Partner, The RBL Group “Human beings want to excel. The best leaders know this, and they create the space for their people to do just that—to soar. Andrew Benett has done a remarkable job of bringing this simple yet powerful fact to life through the words and experiences of the leaders we admire most. Listen up. Or get ready for your competitors to race past you . . . with your people at their side.” —Peter A. Reiling, Executive Vice President for Leadership, The Aspen Institute “Radically rethinking how we attract, develop, retain, and inspire great people in the new ideas economy can no longer be relegated to the HR department. This book provides a recipe for how leadership can create sustainable competitive advantage.” —Jim Speros, Executive Vice President, Fidelity Investments “If your company is known as the best place to work in your industry, you will attract the best people in your industry. It’s that simple. Benett’sThe Talent Mandategoes well beyond sound bites to offer practical advice every executive and company can use to attract, empower, and ultimately inspire great talent.” —Mark D’Arcy, Director of Creative, Facebook “Drawing on dozens of interviews with some of America’s most renowned corporate leaders,The Talent Mandategives practical advice about how to foster qualities essential to the new workplace. Competition for top talent has never been fiercer, and CEOs will want to heed this valuable counsel.”—Jerry Noonan, Global Leader, Consumer Practice, Spencer Stuart “Talent is the single most critical differentiating factor in business success. InThe Talent Mandate, Benett goes deep below the surface and shows how companies in a broad range of industries are thriving due to their masterful talent practices. If you are competing for the best, then this book is a must-read.” —Mike O'Driscoll, Group CEO, Williams F1/Williams Grand Prix Engineering “A refreshing perspective on talent management from the chair of a line manager rather than HR.The Talent Mandatebrilliantly sets out some powerful, proven talent strategies, constantly layered with rich, insightful, and practical axioms that can deliver quick, yet substantial wins for any leader looking to take his or her organization to another level.” —Antony Young, Chief Executive Officer, North America, Mindshare “It is a timeless truth known since the dawn of civilization that people matter most. High performance and good production are logical outgrowths of investments made in people. In the end, the difference between average companies and smart companies can be found in the manifestation of this truth: people first. Andrew Benett understands both the art and science of finding, nurturing, and sustaining talent for the good of the individual as well as for the entire enterprise. Anyone interested in being an effective leader can learn tremendously from this book.” –Eric L. Motley, PhD; Vice President and Managing Director, Henry Crown Fellowship Program, The Aspen Institute