S7 E3: New Imperatives for Talent Management with Peter Zukow

The Inspire Podcast

In this episode of The Inspire Podcast, Bart welcomes Peter Zukow, Managing Partner at IQ Partners, a leading search firm, for a conversation on the evolving world of talent management. Peter unpacks why talent management has changed in recent decades, driven by trends like remote work, the great resignation and now AI. He emphasizes that while talent management has always been important, it’s now increasingly imperative for leaders themselves. From recruiting top talent to nurturing future leaders, advancing team members, and building your leadership brand inside and out, Peter outlines why leaders must play an active, hands-on role. He also offers valuable advice for aspiring leaders on how to take charge of their own development in a world where individuals are increasingly expected to drive their own growth Whether you're leading a team or aspiring to step into leadership, Peter’s insights offer a compelling case for why talent management is no longer an option but a requirement. Visit https://www.iqpartners.com/ to learn more! Show notes: 00:36 Show intro 01:07 Introducing Peter 02:22 What do leaders need to know about managing talent? 02:27 The fundamentals haven't changed 02:34 A more complex environment than ever before 03:19 What are the fundamentals of talent? 03:28 The needs of the teams 03:37 Stakeholders 04:04 How Peter got here in his career 05:05 Recruitment is not usually a career of choice 05:54 What is the search business - in a nutshell? 06:33 Benefits of hiring a search firm over posting a job on LinkedIn 07:07 Targeting the passive job seeker 07:55 Trend in building "Talent Practices" 09:48 What is talent management and the role of leaders in this 10:24 Building and maintaining great culture 10:39 You can't just rely on others to build talent 11:10 Engaging with top leaders in an org is key 11:51 CEO willing to have coffee chats with candidates 12:58 The need to coach and develop talent inside the company as well 16:21 Being transparent about the opportunities in the organization 17:52 The 3 things people can do to bring a talent mindset into their work 18:04 Communication is critical 18:53 Investing the time in it 19:21 Both internal and external efforts on your brand as a leader 20:28 How to prioritize their investment in members of their team 21:12 Leaders at different parts of the org could be key! 22:02 Many ways a leader can communicate—pick your strongest 22:32 How can leaders work externally to attract talent 23:00 Being intentional and consistent with your actions 24:10 Succession Planning: how to approach it 24:18 Succession planning has changed significantly 24:49 As organizations have evolved the jumps from level to level are huge 25:26 The gray tsunami crisis 25:55 Younger generations may have different ideas about "career" 26:27 Take a hard look at team and identify the gaps 27:10 Who's in the marketplace that I might want to bring on? 28:13 Advice for aspiring leaders? 28:29 Be proactive about your own career! 29:20 Tell stakeholders your aspirations! 30:53 Volunteering for cross-functional projects 31:59 If you can't get that internally, you can get involved in the community 34:00 Tech and info has levelled the playing field 34:51 Always and ever and not good places to stand 35:46 Final piece of advice — quickest way to start 35:56 Just start having the conversations 36:23 Thank yous 36:39 Show outro