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Stagen Leadership Institute's Research and Development department is committed to assembling and synthesizing the most current and critical data pertaining to leadership development and human performance. Based upon multiple studies and the US Department of Labor workforce statistics, the Institute recognizes an all too quickly approaching workforce shortage and impending war for top talent. The fight for the brightest and most versatile talent will not hit just certain industries. All organizations employing US workers will be actively engaged in battle to find and keep top talent. It is abundantly clear that there is a critical need for US companies to move beyond recruiting hype and begin viewing the development of high potentials as a strategic business driver.

Research done by the University of Pennsylvania shows that investments in human capital provide twice the return as capital investments. In building developmental programs for high potentials, top performing organizations have seen substantial return on their investment by: (1) investing in people whose values, skills and potential are in alignment with the organization's strategic plan; (2) utilizing detailed research results of each generation's set of common traits relating to communication, learning, motivation and loyalty development. By offering engaging developmental opportunities with these best practices in mind, organizations can begin recruiting and attracting talent with reasons other than the size of a paycheck. High potentials are decidedly enticed not just by financial success, but also by new opportunities and challenges, further development of their skills, and advanced education which will help to propel them within their organization. Enterprises that develop a strategy for attracting, developing and retaining top talent, will triumph over their competition.

The most skillful of organizations will create brilliant strategies for winning the War for Talent by taking immediate action to: (1) Attract the right people to your organization; (2) Align HR programs, policies and processes to business goals; (3) Motivate and reward employee efforts in innovatively valuable ways; (4) Inspire their employees to be fully engaged in their work and; (5) Identify and develop high potentials.

Shown below are generational statistics and characteristics of which clearly define the shifts in American worker both in numbers and that which motivates them.

Baby boomers

  • Born between 1946-1964
  • 85 million
  • The largest growing segment of the US workforce between 1996-2006
  • Characteristics
    • Staying in the workforce longer
    • Want flexible or semi-retired schedules
    • Very loyal and optimistic
    • Prefers formality
    • Believes in paying dues

Gen X

  • Born between 1965-1980
  • 46 Million
  • Characteristics
    • Motivated by opportunities to develop skills and growth
    • Want clear communication with rapid feedback
    • Comfortable with change
    • Driven by money, but also wants work /life balance
    • Results oriented
    • Prefers informality

Gen Y

  • Born between 1981-1998
  • 73 Million
  • Characteristics
    • Most technically savvy generation
    • Most ethnically diverse generation
    • Distinctively practical worldview
    • Optimistic
    • Social
    • Civically minded
    • Highly moral

Facts

  • By 2013, available jobs will outnumber workers by 6.7 Million
  • By 2030, available jobs will outnumber workers by 35 million
  • By 2013 nearly 40% of US jobs will be professional or managerial
    (From a report by the Employment Policy Foundation)