The Talent Era: Achieving a High Return on Talent - Hardcover

Talent is the true engine of the next economy.

Talented people aren't simply "knowledge workers": they're free agents, capable of bringing enormous value to the organizations they are part of. And they know it.

Organizations who want to maximize the value of talent need to act in radically new ways. In this book, world-renowned quality strategist Subir Chowdhury presents a powerful new blueprint for recognizing talent, rewarding it, and making the most of it.

Chowdhury reveals the seven key secrets of talent, then shows managers exactly how to measure Return on Talent (ROT)—and exactly how to enhance it. He also shows talented individuals exactly how to maximize their own talents—and maximize the rewards those talents can earn.

Why talents so often go unrecognized Overcoming obsolete metrics, reward systems, and mindsets It's not just money Competitive salaries are only one part of the solution Leading talented people The new role of managers in the talent-driven organization 7 great ways to leverage talent Magnifying the value of your best people Introducing the "Talent Scorecard" Quantifying talent—so you can identify, recruit, retain, and nurture it Encouraging managers to encourage talent What managers do when they are threatened by talent

Maximizing your #1 marketplace differentiator: talented people.

• The 7 secrets of talent
• The new talent value chain
• The talent scorecard: measuring and enhancing ROT
• Breakthrough approaches to recognizing and rewarding talent
• Optimizing your own talents—and reaping the rewards!

Talented people are the lifeblood of the profitable, innovative enterprise.

Talented people have choices. They can go anywhere. They're free agents—no less than ballplayers or movie stars.

This book is about helping you attract them. Keep them. And make the most of them.

World-renowned quality strategist Subir Chowdhury presents a complete strategy for leveraging talent to increase business value. Chowdhury focuses on the real issues facing organizations seeking to utilize talent more effectively. You'll discover why there's more to attracting talent than inflating salaries, how managers handle talented subordinates, how to measure the value of talent and ROT, and much more.

From start to finish, The Talent Era gives you the tools you need to maximize your #1 marketplace differentiator: talent.

ADVANCE PRAISE for The Talent Era

"It is not very often that a book comes along that shakes your assumptions about people management and how it works. Subir Chowdhury's The Talent Era is that kind of book: powerful and brilliant. At a time when Talent is the scarcest and most costly resource for most organizations, this book provides insights as to how you can maximize your investment and potential in your people. All managers and leaders should read this book!" ----Bob Nelson

Best-selling Author, 1001 Ways to Reward Employees, Please Don't Just Do What I Tell You! Do What Needs to Be Done

"People are the most important resource of any organization. Recruiting, developing and keeping talented people is a formula for success. Chowdhury provides the leader with a special insight into the whys and how to of accomplishing this important task." -----C. William Pollard

Chairman, The ServiceMaster Company

"In times of crisis, managing a meritocracy is critical. A company must have the best talent, and it must rise to the top. Chowdhury's The Talent Era tells just how to make that happen." -----James Champy

Chairman of Consulting, Perot Systems Co-author, Reengineering the Corporation

"Subir Chowdhury has hit the nail on the head with this book that focuses on the value of talent in any organization today. Management has always had to deal with talented people, but heretofore, they have been focusing on how to keep such talented individuals from causing too much disruption to the rest of the organization. Today, our focus needs to be more on how to move the rest of the organization to benefit from such constructive disruption, which is necessary in today's fast-changing and competitive environment." -----J. D. Power III

Chairman and Founder, J. D. Power and Associates

"Subir Chowdhury has done it again! The Talent Era confirms Chowdhury is one of the most practical thought leaders in business today. The Talent Era is the guidebook for talent management in our new world." -----Marshall Goldsmith

Co-Founder, Financial Times Knowldege Dialogue Co-Editor, The Leader of the Future and Coaching for Leadership Named one of Forbes' five top executive coaches and a Wall Street Journal "Top 10" executive educator

"You may not think of yourself as "talent" someone deserving of all the attention that those superstars get. After you read Subir Chowdhury's The Talent Era you'll change your mind. Everyone of us is gifted in some way, and everyone of us will find Chowdhury's messages extraordinarily beneficial in developing our careers and in living our lives. Organizational leaders must take Chowdhury's lessons to heart. Organizations will soar when every employee is treated the way Chowdhury convincingly argues they should be. This book is profoundly important to moving beyond present challenges and creating organizations that are alive with creativity, energy, and enthusiasm." -----James M. Kouzes

Co-author, The Leadership Challenge Chairman-emeritus, Tom Peters Company

"Attracting and retaining talent is the most important issue for business leaders today. Chowdhury's book identifies intelligent responses to these daunting organizational challenges. Those organizations valuing and respecting 'human capital' will have a vast head start in creating cultures that can withstand the turmoil of today's chaotic and unpredictable economy." -----Stuart R. Levine

Chairman & CEO, Stuart Levine & Associates LLC Former CEO, Dale Carnegie and Associates, Inc.

"This is an extraordinarily valuable book. Chowdhury does an amazing job of spelling out how to handle the biggest challenge facing all managers these days: getting, keeping and maximizing the value of talented people. His simple, easy to follow, common-sense but not common-practice ideas are pure gold. This is must reading for any leader in any organization." -----James A. Belasco

Best-selling Author, Teaching the Elephant to Dance and Flight of the Buffalo

"Subir Chowdhury's The Talent Era is a 'must read' for any human resource professional or line manager who is challenged by the talent issues in the workplace. Chowdhury explains, in a most 'make sense' way, the essential ingredients for recognizing, rewarding, and utilizing talent in today's economy. This book is a critical manual for remaining competitive in the marketplace." -----Beverly Kaye

President and Founder, Career Systems International Co-Author, Love'em or Lose'Em: Getting Good People to Stay

"The Talent Era does what no one has done before - quantify, measure and place an analytic and financially recognizable process onto the subjective and vague subject of Talent. Subir Chowdhury has done it again - a must-have for any company on the cutting edge of innovation." -----Larraine Segil

Author, Intelligent Business Alliances and FastAlliances: Power your E-business

SUBIR CHOWDHURY is Executive Vice President of the American Supplier Institute headquartered in Livonia, Michigan. Hailed by the New York Times as a "leading quality expert," Chowdhury's most recent international best-selling books include The Power of Six Sigma and Management 21C: Someday We'll All Manage This Way. His work is frequently cited in the national and international media.

Chowdhury lives with his wife, Malini, and daughter, Anandi, in Novi, Michigan.

Contact Subir Chowdhury at subir@amsup.com
Visit www.amsup.com