The last few years has seen an explosion in the terminology of talent. Processes, approaches and strategies when it comes attracting, managing, engaging and retaining talent are legion.  Alongside this growth comes a bewildering array of talent titles such as talent management; talent acquisition and talent lead.  But is all of this just a sexier re-brand of what used to be called ‘recruitment and succession planning?  Has the hiring industry hijacked the word ‘talent’ from Hollywood turning this from ‘on-screen’ talent into ‘on-zoom’ talent?

Shining a light on the world of talent is Marc Effron co-author of Harvard Business Review’s best-selling book “One Page Talent Management’ widely considered as the talent management bible.   Marc is the Founder and President of the Talent Strategy Group a New York based organisation that advises some of the world's largest and most complex organizations about human resource and talent management issues.  Marc also publishes TalentQ magazine a publication he founded in 2013 designed to help executives makes smart decisions about how to manage talent.  

On the question of name change from Recruitment to Talent, Mark makes this interesting analogy: "I thought if I was eating at a horrible restaurant where the food was awful, and the servers were rude, and they changed their name, am I going back because, gee, they must’ve changed everything else because they swapped the sign? Probably not."

This powerful, moving and uplifting interview shines a light on the extraordinary journey and bravery shown by Aoife Martin.  Her vivid description of her journey to become the first person globally in her organisation to transition exudes warmth, generosity and wisdom.  It provides a blueprint for HR professionals, and those in the wider organisation, on how to support individuals who are considering transitioning.  More importantly, the interview provides a stark warning that transphobia remains embedded in both society and the workplace and that vigilance is required to ensure hard-won rights are not reversed. 

Since then, Aoife's given numerous talks and interviews about being transgender in Ireland today.  She’s passionate about educating people around transgender issues and believes it’s only by sharing her experience that she can make a difference and change people's perceptions.  Thankfully, few of us in life have had to endure the level of scrutiny, hostility, and questions about our life and motives as much as Aoife does. The shocking level of abuse received on Twitter alone has seen a block, some 180,000 users. 

Aoife humbly describes her life as "Ordinary".  I think she is in fact Extraordinary. 

How we work, where we work and when we work is changing fast.  The old industrial paradigm of the Monday to Friday, 9 to 5, office based role, appears increasingly outdated and anachronistic.  

The changes have in part been driven by Covid, but there are other, more subtle and more powerful phenomena in play.  Advances in technology, shifting cultural norms and the values held by those leaving education and joining the workforce are having the biggest impact on the future of work and leaving many of us to consider whether being our own boss is a genuine option.

Extolling the virtues of being your own boss is this week's Oven-Ready HR guest.  Carl Reader is a prolific investor and serial entrepreneur who left school at the age of 15 to become an apprentice hairdresser. Whilst his career in hair design was short-lived, his innate nose for business, entrepreneurship and sheer force of will has seen him build and scale numerous businesses and allowed him to control his own destiny.

As the author of the wildly successful and bestselling book "Boss It" , Carl Reader gives an honest, robust and vivid blueprint of how to become your own boss.  His mission is to ensure that being your own boss is as natural a career choice as any other.  

Lastly, there are plenty of HR takeaways from this interview:

• How to build a high-performing culture;
• The mistakes commonly made when hiring employees;
• His preference for employing "attitude" over "skills" every time.

As the captain of Enterprise Nation - a vibrant community of small businesses and business advisers - Emma Jones CBE takes us through her personal voyage exploring strange new startups and seeking out new life in the UK economy.

Emma Jones is the epitome of 'If you want something done ask a busy person'.  Since embarking on her voyage with Enterprise Nation in 2006, Emma Jones has never looked back.  Her infectious  enthusiasm and zeal for helping people with good ideas and growing them into great businesses has seen her play a highly significant role at the very heart of initiatives created by successive governments to create an environment where setting up your own business is a genuine and realistic alternative to getting a job.  

Seeking out new life in the UK economy of course involves HR and Emma Jones explains the key role HR can play in this mission:

• Employing people is a big deal for entrepreneurs and it keeps many awake at night, so HR can really help and support in this critical task;
• Businesses created by Millennials and Generation Z are incredibly socially motivated which really chimes with HR's focus on 'engagement';
• Startups and small businesses increasingly recognise the importance of good HR practice at the outset;
•  HR education or support for startups and small businesses is scarce, therefore an opportunity for the profession to add value;
• HR is likely to be one of the 'flourishing' sectors of the next decade.

Although it is critical for HR functions to work closely with all other business departments, HR and Marketing I think have a special relationship.  Both functions rely closely on one another to deliver their strategic plans.  

Without an engaged, talented and trained workforce, Marketing's carefully crafted brand communications to customers will be wasted.   Likewise without Marketing's expertise in building brands and communication strategies, HR will struggle to be an 'Employer of Choice'  seeking to attract the brightest and best and talent.

So what is the state of the 'Special Relationship'?  Is it good, bad or indifferent?  Are both functions investing enough time to understand what the other does?  Does it matter?

This episode sees Marketing expert Jarmila Yu, Founder and Chief Marketing Officer of Unique Marketing and Richard Merrin, Managing Director of Spreckley Partners, a London based enterprise technology PR agency give a lively,  honest and open critique of the Special Relationship between HR and Marketing and where we go from here.

Considered by many to be the parish priest of HR, Steve Browne has for the last 30 years evangelised about a profession that has, at times,  appeared ill at ease with itself.

He states in his book 'HR On Purpose', the view from those outside of the profession is that we make 'magnificent apologists' and we have often taken the stance of the organisational martyr.   Steve Browne would like us to think differently by 'owning' what we do, recognising the value that we bring and understanding the transformative power that simple, pragmatic cultural shifts can have.

As an unapologetic non-conformist, Steve Browne's refreshing and upbeat approach appeals to those HR professionals and business leaders who intrinsically value and recognise the contribution all employees make to the success of an organisation.  
 
This feel good and positive interview whilst looking at some of the absurdities of modern HR life comes though with an underlying warning for all HR professionals on the perils of not confronting poor or toxic work cultures.

Pre-Pandemic, Charlie Gilkes, co-founder of the Inception Group, a collection of some of London's coolest, bars, restaurants was riding high.  His 11 experiential venues were a magnet for sophisticated professionals seeking an alternative to an otherwise bland scene of identical looking venues offering much the same products and service.

Although his venues remain shuttered for now, Gilkes remains optimistic and given the strong brands he has created and his loyal customer base, he believes the Inception Group is well placed for when life begins to return to normal.

In this episode, Charlie Gilkes gives his take on:

• What personal attributes and attitudes he seeks when hiring new employees;
• How the pandemic has 'tested his mettle' and the insights this has given him;
• How Covid has provided the business time to reflect, simplify and try new ideas;
• How adversity has brought the hospitality sector closer together;
• The importance of the hospitality sector to the economy and the lack of Government support;
• How the insurance sector has failed the UK hospitality sector;
• Why a career in hospitality remains a fantastic career choice.

Peter Cheese, CEO of the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development the organisation that represents more than 150,000 HR professionals around the world gives a profound, candid, wide-ranging and optimistic interview to Chris Taylor of Oven-Ready HR.  Subjects and themes covered include:

• How HR as been centre-stage during the Pandemic and how the profession has really "stepped-up" to meet this challenge;
• The new paradigms of work and how flexible/home working is allowing individuals previously excluded from the workforce an opportunity to take part;
• Innovation and creative organisational cultures can thrive perfectly well in a flexible working model;
• HR now  has the confidence to place itself at the heart of business as the pandemic was after all a 'human crisis'
• Many business leaders are now seeing the true value that HR brings with culture, skills, diversity, AI, learning and employee wellbeing topping the in-tray
• How the CIPD is confronting toxic workplace cultures and championing diversity and inclusivity following the Me Too and BLM movements;
• How the HR profession itself must become more inclusive and diverse- "we can be the change we want to be";
• The importance of community to organisations and why it's positive to have a workforce that is representative of their customer base;
• How all of the changes to how, why and where we work is a huge opportunity for the future of the HR profession

In this episode, Chris talks to prolific 'Social Entrepreneur' and 'Social Impact' investor Mark Kass.  Mark  Kass takes us through the highs and lows of operating a co-working and business centre operation during the Pandemic and why the death of the office is hugely over-exaggerated.

Mark Kass is CEO and Chairman of The Enterprise4Good Group.  The group operates a socially responsible stable of brands that designs, delivers and manages a variety of economic growth programmes to create measurable social, environmental and economic impact.

His typical clients are from the start-up, SME and Freelancer sectors all of which have been deeply affected by recent events. A wide-ranging interview covering a number of themes:

• Has technology aided or hindered creativity?
• The effect on mental health from working remotely
• Why property owners need to think differently about property
• The importance of community
• Why HR should be involved in planning future office needs

Oven-Ready HR is the Podcast that aims to demystify and deconstruct HR best practices for the start-up and SME sectors.  Oven-Ready's approach is to discuss the practical application of HR ideas and practices and to explain the theory behind them.  We're here to educate, inform and hopefully entertain and try to make what can be a very dry subject, just that little more interesting!

In this episode, Chris interviews Professor Dave Ulrich,  the father of modern-day HR thinking and one of the world's most respected business thinkers.  

In this wide-ranging interview, Dave Ulrich explains why HR professionals need to have a much better understanding of business strategy; spend much more time with a firm's customers; spend less time hiding behind theoretical models; stand up and be counted when it comes to corporate misdemeanours; and how HR professionals should behave following the Covid-19 pandemic and the anticipated return to work.