Last night I was acting as the stand-up after-dinner act for a group of British CEOs from a retail-focused industry. They wanted to know about Generation Y and how to engage them – something that’s crucial in the current climate. I focused first on technology, since that is one undeniable generational difference, and since we now have hard facts from the first global Digital Generation Survey (www.theDgeneration.com).

Performance rating systems - especially forced ranking - are controversial and widely unpopular even in the West. Yet fast-growth companies in India and elsewhere (yes there are still some) are copying damaging Western practices in their desire to professionalise.   If we’re going to bring to life a new vision of talent for tomorrow’s companies, illustrated by the TGT report launched  yesterday, we need to encourage them to take a more thoughtful approach.

As the old-world leaders at DAVOS continue to broadcast their gloomy state of mind, the best entrepreneurs around the world will have one word in their mind: Opportunity.

On Monday I was speaking at the annual conference for the UK Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR). It reinforced my impression that a strange thing is happening in the economy. Everyone in business seems to be talking about recession, yet employers are still forecasting severe skills shortages, and recruitment professionals are busy!

Unfortunately as we look around the world we find that most employers’ reflex response to the skills shortage is ‘more of the same’: Search harder in the limited talent pool, and compete by paying more. In India, China and Russia, executives said their #1 challenge was “inability to meet salary expectations”. What’s needed? In our view, a complete re-think...