Acknowledgments

Obviously, this book wouldn’t exist without the generous contributions from the world-renowned thought leaders and experienced practitioners who contributed chapters. They not only lent us their time; they lent us their considerable expertise and valued opinions. For these, we offer our sincerest thanks to the wonderful authors who created the pages you are about to read.

We would also like to thank several others who contributed to this book:

ASTD, for making this book possible and continuing to further 7 the strategic impact of the learning profession.

The staff at i4cp and the research staff at ASTD, whose excel7 lent research into all aspects of human capital and high performance organizations augments the book’s contents.

The members of ASTD’s Integrated Talent Management 7 Advisory Committee, who have supported this effort since the beginning:
— Susan Burnett, Yahoo
— Rick Coffey, Boeing
— Debbie Eshelman, SENSA Solutions
— Jeanette Harrison (chair), Learning Consultant
— Leslie Joyce, Novelis
— Edward Lawler III, University of Southern California
— Annmarie Neal, Cisco
— Kevin Oakes, i4cp
— Deb Wheelock, Mercer.

We’re proud of this book, but even prouder of what it represents for the profession: effectively integrating and managing talent improves organizational effectiveness. As Dave Ulrich—called the most influential person in HR—succinctly points out in chapter 17, “Talent differentiates, drives productivity, determines customer service, and increases intangible shareholder value. Talent matters. Talent is too important to be left to uncoordinated events.”

Whether leading an orchestra or an employee base, the coordination of talent—synergistically maximizing each player’s unique but complementary skills and competencies—is the key to success. We hope this book helps every talent conductor create virtuoso performances worthy of frequent standing ovations.