Company Updates

Every day, the multi-billion dollar corporate leadership industry pumps out books, trainings, blogs and punditry claiming to improve the effectiveness of any leader, based on everyone from Abraham Lincoln to Larry Page. The reality though, according to Stanford Business School professor Jeffrey Pfeffer in his new book, Leadership BS: Fixing Workplaces and Careers One Truth at a Time , is that the workplace is as dysfunctional as ever.

It's no secret that many of today's top employers promote work-life balance as a key component of company culture to recruit and retain top talent. Employers are increasingly focused on creating a workplace that values individuals not only professionally, but also personally. But in today's 24/7 connected world, finding such balance is much easier said than done.

Human resources has felt the transformational impact of technological advancement for quite some time now, but this past year consisted of a few significant advances in the world of HR tech.

There is no doubt that mobile phones are now the primary communication device for many people - in fact, Deloitte found that 53 percent of people in the U.K. with smartphones check them within five minutes of waking up in the morning! A similar study in the U.S.

This post is part of our monthly TED Talk Tuesday series, spotlighting can't-miss TED Talks and their key takeaways. You can learn more about our partnership with TED . Shawn Achor, CEO of consulting firm Good Think and best-selling author, is one of the world's leading experts on happiness and success.

Strategic human resources. An oxymoron perhaps? What does "strategic HR" really mean? If you talk to HR professionals about business strategy, you may hear things like "having a seat at the table," "being a trusted advisor" or "being included in key business initiatives."

Just as branding - both personal and professional - is essential to marketing or sales, it's increasingly crucial for HR. Job candidates have understood the power of personal branding for quite some time - the key to landing a dream job is to craft a concise, first-person narrative about who you are and the value you represent to potential employers.

Does this sound like you? You are a manager. You're looking for new and innovative ways to build your organization to perform at higher standards. You just came off an average, mediocre or even less than stellar year and the associated pressure to perform in the next fiscal year falls on your shoulders.

While employees may be a company's greatest asset, it is data in the hands of these employees that can truly make a difference. Workforce data and people analytics can help employees make informed decisions, develop strong strategic initiatives and achieve measurable goals.