Improving Internal Mobility Practices

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁. It’s an identity shift that most senior leaders underestimate. Whether it’s a promotion, a cross-functional switch, or stepping into a CXO seat, the external responsibilities are clear, but the inner alignment? That’s where the real challenge lies. You’re now managing former peers. You’re expected to lead with more vision, not just execution. The unspoken expectations suddenly feel heavier than the job description. One of my clients, recently promoted to a regional leadership role, shared: “Everyone around me assumes I’ve ‘arrived’. But inside, I’m still figuring out how to show up in this new skin.” This is more common than you think. In my coaching experience, here’s what shows up most often during such transitions: 1/ Identity Lag: You’ve earned the title, but haven’t yet embodied the role. This creates hesitation in decision-making leading to second-guessing. 2/ Peer-to-Leader Shift: Suddenly, you're the one giving feedback to the person who used to be your lunch buddy. That emotional shift needs space and support. 3/ Pressure to Perform Instantly: Many feel they need to “prove” their worth early on. This often leads to overcommitment and burnout within the first few months of the new role. So what’s the most important shift to make? Instead of asking: “How do I prove I belong here?” Start by asking: “Who do I need to become to lead from this space?” Most transitions don’t just require a strategy. They require support, self-awareness, and inner leadership. Remember: Your first 90 days aren’t just about results; they’re about embracing your new leadership identity. So, make space for reflection, not just action.

Dear Talent Acquisition, HR Leaders & Hiring Managers, quick reality check: Before you drop that fancy new job ad into the streets of LinkedIn, have you actually looked around to see if someone already on your team could step up? Maybe with a bit of training, coaching, or actual support? Because let’s be honest, growing your own talent is faster, cheaper, and a whole lot less painful than onboarding a new hire who’ll spend three months just figuring out which Slack channels matter, who actually approves expenses, what your weird abbreviations stand for, and what on earth “TTFN” means in your team chat. Reskilling and upskilling beats layoffs, redundancies, and those cringey “it’s a performance thing” conversations. Every. Single. Time. Also, and this part is important; your people aren’t daft. They see what’s going on when John gets “performance managed” out the door on Friday and magically, on Monday, a new job posting shows up that looks suspiciously like… John’s job. If you really value your people, prove it. Redirect their skills, tap into their potential, and give them a chance to grow, instead of quietly swapping them out like the last iPhone. Internal mobility isn’t a corporate buzzword, it’s basic business sense. So before you post that ad (or draft that layoff list), check your bench. You might be sitting on exactly the talent you need. #Careers #Layoffs #Upskill #CareerDevelopment #InternalMobility

Considering a Career Transition? Doing this one thing can make the difference between being overlooked or being selected for an interview and landing an offer. ✅ Be the obvious choice – Don’t assume recruiters will connect the dots. They’re often scanning for an exact title match. Your job? Bridge the gap for them. Translate your past experience into the language of your target role so they see you as a natural fit. Example:  Transition from a Project Manager → Product Manager Let’s say you’ve been a Project Manager for years but want to move into a Product Manager role. A recruiter or hiring manager might not immediately see the connection because they’re looking for candidates with direct Product Management titles. Instead of listing: ❌ “Managed project timelines, budgets, and stakeholder communications.” Reframe it to match Product Management language: ✅ “Led cross-functional teams to deliver customer-focused solutions, prioritizing features based on business impact and user needs.” Why this works: “Led cross-functional teams” aligns with how product managers work across engineering, design, and marketing. “Customer-focused solutions” signals an understanding of product development, not just project execution. “Prioritizing features based on business impact and user needs” shows a product mindset—something critical for a PM role. ✨ Bonus: 📎📄 Attached is an in-depth example of how to identify your transferable skills and effectively highlight them as relevant experience. This can be a tool that assists you with your resume, interviewing and negotiating. 💡 Need guidance? Assisting clients with career pivots and transitions is something I excel at. Plus - I’ve successfully navigated several transitions in my own career, so I’ve lived it. Let’s connect! #CareerChange #CareerAdvice #JobSearch #CareerTransition #Laidoff #CareerDevelopment #CareerGrowth #JobSeeker #CareerPivot

Stop climbing the career ladder. Build a career lattice instead. This is the future of work. Instead of climbing straight up like a ladder, you move sideways, diagonally, and up. You build skills across different areas, create multiple paths forward, and become valuable in ways that can't be replaced by one bad quarter or company restructure. 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗟𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗹𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗻𝗼𝘄. There aren't as many management levels to climb. The old "up or out" mentality doesn't work when there's nowhere to go up. 𝗝𝗼𝗯𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿. The role you were hired for might not exist in 3 years. But if you've built skills across multiple areas, you adapt instead of getting left behind. 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲𝘀. Your ability to solve problems in marketing AND operations AND data analysis makes you more valuable than being "just" a marketing manager. 𝗘𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘆. When layoffs happen, people with diverse skills and internal networks survive. People stuck in one lane don't. 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗟𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 - You Lifelong Employability Playbook 𝟭. 𝗠𝗮𝗽 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘀 • List what you're good at now • Identify what you want to learn • Find the connections between different areas    𝟮. 𝗩𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀-𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀 • Work with other departments • Offer to help with initiatives outside your job description • Learn how other parts of the business work    𝟯. 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 • Connect with people in different departments • Attend company events and cross-team meetings • Help colleagues even when there's no direct benefit to you    𝟰. 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 • If you're in sales, learn basic marketing and data analysis • If you're in HR, understand finance and operations • If you're technical, develop communication and business skills    𝟱. 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗼𝗻 "𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗴𝗲" 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲𝘀 • Volunteer to translate between departments • Become the person who understands both the technical and business side • Position yourself as a connector and problem-solver    In the new world of work, your career lattice becomes your competitive advantage. While others compete for the same narrow path up, you've built multiple ways forward. Ready to start building your lattice? Pick one skill outside your current role and start learning it this month. ♻️ Share this to help others build skills that matters Follow Adeline Tiah for content on future of work and leadership

“My opinion will be required before deciding the promotions but I’m not sure how to evaluate” An IT leader whom I coached a few months ago mentioned this during the discovery call His concern was not about evaluating the performance It was about recognising potential While I provided him with a system to observe and get better at it, I realised a pattern during this project Most leaders notice potential after results show up. But, great leaders spot it before anyone else does. That’s the problem. In most teams, potential is confused with performance. Only visible outcomes get rewarded While early signals of growth go unnoticed until it’s too late to nurture them properly. This creates a costly gap. High-potential team members stay underutilised. Some disengage. Some leave. And leaders end up reacting to talent instead of developing it. Here’s how to spot potential before it becomes obvious: 1. Look for learning speed over the current skill Pay attention to how quickly someone absorbs feedback and applies it instead of being fixated on how polished they already are. 2. Notice who asks better questions under pressure Potential shows up in curiosity and clarity when situations are unclear, not just in confident answers. 3. Watch ownership in small moments People with potential take responsibility in everyday tasks without being asked 4. Observe energy, not just efficiency High-potential employees bring focus, initiative, and resilience even when the task isn’t glamorous. Potential doesn’t announce itself. It whispers through behaviour long before results catch up. If you want stronger teams, Start spotting signals early and develop people before the spotlight finds them. #peoplemanagement #leadership #personaldevelopment #softskills #careergrowth #mentorship #corporatetrainer #leadershipculture

*Building Future-Ready Talent Begins from Within* In today’s dynamic business environment, one of the most strategic decisions we can make as HR leaders is to place our trust—and our investment—in the talent we already have. Internal training and career development are not just HR priorities; they are business imperatives. When we enable our people to grow from within, we don't just retain knowledge and experience—we build an agile, motivated, and future-ready workforce. At Lupin, we are committed to building a learning ecosystem that supports every individual’s career journey, across geographies, functions, and levels. Here’s how I feel we can bring this vision to life: * Structured Learning Pathways: Tailor programs that align individual aspirations with business needs—from technical upskilling to leadership development. * Talent Mobility Frameworks: Encouraging cross-functional and cross-border movement to unlock diverse experiences and foster a truly global mindset. * Digital Learning Ecosystem: A blend of AI-powered platforms, microlearning modules, and virtual academies that make learning accessible, adaptive, and always-on. * Manager as Career Coach: Empowering leaders to have meaningful career conversations and champion internal talent growth. * Data-Driven Development: Leveraging people analytics to identify skill gaps, predict growth trajectories, and personalize development journeys. The goal is to ensure that every employee, regardless of where they begin, can envision and realize a fulfilling career within the organization. Because when people see a future here, they build the future with us! #FutureReady #TalentDevelopment #StrategicLearning #AgileWorkforce Ajay Tiwari Arnabi Marjit Sanjay Mishra Bahar Shaikh Turlough Gorman Ashutosh Kotwal

Transitioning into a Business Analyst Role? Here Are the Real Challenges (and How to Overcome Them) Many professionals — from testers, support roles, developers, or even completely different domains — dream of stepping into Business Analysis. It’s a fantastic career path, but the transition isn’t always smooth. Here are some key challenges people face (and practical ways to tackle them): 1️⃣ Mindset Shift: From “Doing the Work” to “Defining the Work” 👉 Challenge: Most professionals are used to executing tasks, not eliciting and defining what needs to be built. 💡 Tip: Start observing how BAs facilitate discussions, translate needs into requirements, and bridge business with tech. Volunteer to shadow requirement sessions or create mock BRDs/user stories for existing processes. 2️⃣ Lack of Domain & Business Context 👉 Challenge: Understanding business processes, stakeholders, and industry regulations is critical — and it’s often unfamiliar territory. 💡 Tip: Pick one domain (e.g., banking, insurance, e-commerce) and go deep. Read real project case studies, watch domain explainer videos, or analyze existing systems around you. 3️⃣ Communication & Stakeholder Engagement Skills 👉 Challenge: BAs spend a huge chunk of their time communicating, facilitating workshops, and asking the right questions — not writing code or running test cases. 💡 Tip: Practice articulating requirements clearly. Join workshops, take facilitation roles in team meetings, or even practice requirements elicitation with a peer group. 4️⃣ Tool Proficiency & BA Techniques 👉 Challenge: Tools like JIRA, Confluence, Figma, SQL, or BPMN can feel overwhelming initially. 💡 Tip: Pick a few key tools and learn them through hands-on mini projects. For example, map out a simple business process in Lucidchart or write a basic SQL query to analyze sample data. 5️⃣ Imposter Syndrome 👉 Challenge: Many career changers doubt if they truly “belong” in a BA role, especially when surrounded by experienced professionals. 💡 Tip: Everyone starts somewhere. Focus on building core BA habits — asking questions, thinking in systems, documenting clearly, and continuously learning. Confidence follows consistency. Transitioning into Business Analysis isn’t about having every answer on Day 1 — it’s about developing the curiosity, structure, and communication skills to find them. Start small, build consistently, and lean on communities that support your growth.

Workforce planning has always been an incredibly complex and difficult task. Despite valiant efforts to improve these models, they have remained relatively static and simplistic, relying predominantly on small teams crunching data or on predictions from the hiring manager community. In an ideal world, we would shift from a static, once-a-year exercise to a dynamic, more proactive model. We would stop reacting to what's happening now and start anticipating what's likely to happen next. Last week, I had the pleasure of spending time with our enterprise data and analytics team, a group that services over 800 customers. The most exciting topic we discussed was three pilots we're running with customers right now that aim to make this a reality: using a digital twin for work planning. It works by connecting vast amounts of external market data with a company's many internal data sources, some they typically wouldn't consider, such as ERP, CRM (sales), LMS, and Time and Attendance systems. This allows us to run scenarios and model future talent needs. Here’s a concrete example: By analyzing Salesforce, HRIS, and ATS data, we can predict that when multiple prospect opportunities reach a specific stage in our customer’s sales cycle, there is a high likelihood of winning at least one of them. We can then analyze the consistent skill sets across all of those prospect opportunities, allowing us to confidently and proactively start a recruitment process for those skills. The goal being that we have candidates at the final stages of the process, before an official requisition has been raised, positively impacting time to hire. We’ve also been able to replicate a similar model based on website sales activity. The question to ask is: what data is generated in what system that allows you to get ahead of the hiring process today. 

𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆’𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗱𝗮𝘆’𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲?    When I first started out in my career, the world of work looked very different.     Most people stayed in the same job – even the same company – for many years, sometimes decades. Roles were clearly defined, often with fixed hierarchies and long paper trails. Teams were almost always co-located, and workforce planning largely meant headcount forecasting based on fixed job descriptions.    Fast forward to today, and work looks nothing like that. AI advancements have reshaped entire industries. New skills are emerging in months, not years. Geopolitical shifts are affecting access to talent and cost in ways business leaders couldn’t have predicted five years ago.     But too often, workforce strategies are still rooted in that old approach, usually accompanied by long hiring cycles or rigid structures.     To truly tackle today’s challenges, strategies should be led by the outcomes the business needs to achieve – whether that’s accelerating digital transformation, expanding into new markets, or delivering complex, high-impact projects at pace.    David Barr, who leads the Robert Walters Outsourcing business, sums it up well:  "The future of workforce planning isn’t about the worker. It’s about the work that needs to be done."    This shift in mindset changes the questions leaders should be asking.     For instance, instead of asking: What roles do we need to fill?  Think about: 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿?    And in place of: What qualifications or experience do we need?   Consider: 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀?  That’s where capability-led planning comes in. It can help organisations build on traditional hiring models beyond permanent and temporary by adding more flexible ways to access the skills they need – when and where they need them.      For example, say you’re looking to build a team with in-demand tech skills that are difficult to recruit for. Instead of trying to fill permanent positions, a hire-train-deploy (HTD) model can help you access early-career talent, trained specifically for your needs and ready to deliver from day one.     Or, if your team needs expert support for a critical project but adding to your headcount isn’t an option, a resource augmentation approach is a good solution. It gives you access to experienced, on-demand consultants with specialist skill sets – along with the flexibility to scale up or down as needed.      Yes, this kind of planning may take more thought upfront. But it creates a workforce strategy that can evolve as fast as the world around it.     How are you progressing your workforce strategy to meet what’s next? 

It’s not a secret that talent is at the center of every high-performing organization. Identifying and developing high potentials is a core principle that has been particularly important to me and the companies that I have both served and led over my 40+ year career. Your best managers are at the heart of where you are today and the foundation for your successes in the future. I recently had someone ask me about my experience and thoughts on identifying and growing talent. I thought others might benefit from the information, so I am dropping a few thoughts here. Look inside first. Identify your high potentials and curate a pool. These are individuals who demonstrate traits and skill sets that will enable you to accelerate future growth. I always insisted that there were members of the pool from every department. If a department leader could not identify a high potential, we knew that we had an issue in that department. Don’t be afraid to give up your best managers for growth opportunities within the organization. By doing this, you will grow that individual while creating space and opportunities for emerging talent. We actively groomed our high-potential pool to mitigate the risk of losing them to competitors but, more importantly, to realize the compounded value that they would create for our organization. In the event we lost a great manager to a competitor or another industry, we embraced the opportunity to elevate and grow inside talent. Each year, executive leadership would host a two-day session where we would meet one-on-one with 20-40 high potentials. At the end of day one, we would host a dinner with everyone. At the end of the meetings on day two, the leaders would take a silent vote to rank the top 25% of the pool in order. There was always lively discussion. The top people in the pool were identified to get the next executive openings in that order. I would call the top 5/10 to congratulate them. Our leadership team split up the list of high potentials that did not make the shortlist to thank them and encourage them to continue on their growth path. Not only was it a badge of honor to be identified as a high potential, the program served as a great motivation tool throughout the organization. Your human resource department is critical to the success of a program like this. Not only do they know the high potentials and have a vested interest in talent growth, but they can also ensure structure, consistency, continuity, and accountability across the entire company. Note that developing talent takes time. Thus, the word “potential.” These are future greats who have demonstrated ability, mindset, and values. Bring your patience, your listening skills, and your support. Get to know them personally. Uncover their professional aspirations. Identify what drives them. And find opportunities for them to stretch and be uncomfortable. It’s in those moments that high potentials break through the ceiling and go from being good to being great.