As we look for signs of better things to come, will we see a super hero streaking across the sky?  Making a connection between business recovery and a fictional crime fighter might seem improbable, unlikely or even silly.

In fact, we often find ourselves “looking up” for guidance…especially to the most highly respected companies that seem to outperform all others, year-after-year.  Yes, we want to know who’s on top but we REALLY want to know why.  We want to know what companies that are succeeding in today’s new economy have done in the recent past to maintain their top position.  We also want to know what they are planning to do in the near future.

Questar took a look at what their clients did over the last several years.  We found that those clients that fit into the category of top companies (market leaders, or runner up position in their industry), had not abandoned their leadership and talent development efforts in favor of short-term pressures.  While spending in 2009 was down 20% across the board, at no point did the discussion of organizational development ever fall off the table.  What we saw was that top companies remained steadfast in their focus of developing talent, in part to retain them but mostly because it was simply a part of their organizational DNA.

Of course, we also saw some top companies postpone their spending on talent development over the past year and a half.  But based on what we are hearing today, this delay was only temporary.  The pent up demand for talent development or/and employee engagement programs is surging ahead now more than we have seen in the last five years.  There is clear a sense of urgency.  Top companies are anxious to regain their position of support for their workforce and moving forward with talent development and employee engagement programs this year.

At Questar we are looking up.  We are watching what the top companies are doing to remain on top.  And we are hopeful of better days ahead, soon.

John Steinlicht | V.P.  Global  Sales  Manager