Author Archives: Allan Boroughs

May the 4th be with you!

To celebrate the second International Star Wars day in Toronto  starwarsdayto.com and because it was more fun than working, here is the Orion guide to the five things I learned about talent management from watching Star Wars.

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Allan BoroughsBy Allan Boroughs | Published: 04/05/2012

Take me to your leader

I always had a particular fondness for that moment in Star Trek when the Enterprise arrived at an uncharted planet and Jim Kirk stood proudly on the bridge (chin out stomach in) before giving the order to “Hail them”.   Hail them?  An entire planet?  How was that supposed to work? Read more →

Allan BoroughsBy Allan Boroughs | Published: 26/03/2012

If HR technology vendors made cars…

Leaving aside the old joke about the car crashing every time you open the windows it is interesting to consider whether we would tolerate the idiosyncrasies of the technology market in any other walk of life Read more →

Allan BoroughsBy Allan Boroughs | Published: 09/03/2012

An infinite number of monkeys

Probability theory tells us that an infinite number of monkeys placed before an infinite number of typewriters will eventually type the complete works of Shakespeare. Read more →

Allan BoroughsBy Allan Boroughs | Published: 05/12/2011

Who wears the pants in your organisation?

As a child I was always secure in the belief that if the school bus tipped over the edge of the Golden Gate Bridge (admittedly unlikely in Ealing), then there would always be a man in tights and red underpants there to rescue me.  Read more →

Allan BoroughsBy Allan Boroughs | Published: 21/11/2011

Why HR needs baked beans.

As big hairy audacious goals go, John Kennedy’s promise in 1961 to send a man to the moon and return him safely to the Earth before the end of the decade was one of the more hirsute.  This probably caused more than a little anxiety amongst those who found it on their goal setting forms.  “Objectives for 1969: develop induction plan;  review bonus scheme;  put man on moon” – sort of stands out doesn’t it?

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Allan BoroughsBy Allan Boroughs | Published: 19/10/2011

The Rise of the Roberts

What if you could really clone your best people?  Of course it’s what every manager secretly wishes they could do; it’s a heartfelt response to the bewildering array of complex talent ‘interventions’ and performance management initiatives that try to address what seems, to be a remarkably straightforward problem.  “Take Bob,” they say, “he’s my best guy.  I wish I had ten more like him.  If you could just clone Bob for me, I’d be happy.”

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Allan BoroughsBy Allan Boroughs | Published: 26/09/2011

How to kill a cat without using a nine-inch nail

I have recently returned to work after a period away on sabbatical; a great privilege which has been hugely fulfilling in a number of ways.  Read more →

Allan BoroughsBy Allan Boroughs | Published: 08/07/2011