I’m back, for a bit, after spending the better part of a week on the road. The highlight of last week was Workforce Management’s inaugural Talent Management Conference and 17th annual Optimas Awards in New York at the Millennium Broadway Hotel. The speaker lineup was impressive, including:

• Dennis Donovan, former executive vice president of human resources at Home Depot.
• Dave Ulrich, author, University of Michigan business professor and partner/co-founder of the RBL Group.
• Beverly Kaye, author and founder/CEO of Career Systems International.
• Ken Carrig, chief administrative officer of Sysco Corp.

Although all the speakers were top-notch, Dave Ulrich was the one who was really worth the price of admission. Not only did he provide the broader, strategic underpinnings to talent management, but he did it in an engaging and entertaining manner that was both highly informative and completely enjoyable.

I also announced that Dave Ulrich will be writing a series of articles for Workforce Management that should be as insightful and engaging as the white paper he did for us last year with co-author David Creelman. Look for more details in the weeks to come.