Steve Trautman of The Steve Trautman Company, a solution provider at the upcoming marcus evans Corporate Learning & Talent Development Summit 2012, on knowledge transfer and managing and mitigating talent risk. Interview with: Steve Trautman, Founder & Principal, The Steve Trautman Company

1. April 22-24, 2012 | Château Élan Winery & Resort | Braselton | GA
The Steve Trautman Company on
Knowledge Transfer and Uncovering Talent Risk
Steve Trautman of The Steve Trautman Company, a solution provider at the upcoming
marcus evans Corporate Learning & Talent Development Summit 2012, on knowledge
transfer and managing and mitigating talent risk.
Interview with: Steve Trautman, Founder & Principal, The Steve Trautman Company
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE trained to methodically transfer their technical knowledge on
the job – reducing risk along the way.
Although organizations put a lot of effort into managing risks
elsewhere in the business, they do not assess and methodically Can you discuss the issue of brain drain and cross-generational
mitigate talent risk, says Steve Trautman, Founder & Principal, knowledge transfer?
The Steve Trautman Company. In fact, very few organizations
actively manage the risk to ensure that they will have the Steve Trautman: Because of the issue of an aging workforce,
workforce needed to meet their one to three year strategies, many firms will lose 30 per cent of their most senior workers
Trautman adds. over the next three to five years. Brain drain is already a crisis
for many organizations, as they do not know how to replicate
Ahead of the marcus evans Corporate Learning & Talent the knowledge of their people before they depart. Often, the
Development Summit 2012 in Braselton, Georgia, April 22-24, knowledge must be transferred from retirement age workers
Trautman discusses talent risk management, knowledge to a generation right out of college and this poses some
transfer and how Chief Learning Officers (CLOs) can impact interesting but manageable challenges.
the company’s bottom line.
We worked with a company that had a single person with
Why do organizations overlook talent risk management? decades of experience responsible for picking the sugar syrups
for its new food products. When he gave his 30-day notice,
Steve Trautman: Organizations manage other risks we spun up an emergency knowledge transfer process to map
systematically and with great rigor, but very few think of out his last 30 days almost to the hour so that we could
talent in the same way. For example, they manage litigation transfer his knowledge to two individuals in the company.
risk with contracts and insurance policies, and work with
multiple vendors to reduce their supply chain risk. How can years’ worth of knowledge be transferred easily?
When it comes to talent, CLOs hope that having a leadership Steve Trautman: Of course, we cannot instantly replace the
succession plan is enough but they must think of the workforce wisdom and experience gathered over many years but we can
more holistically. At the moment, very few CLOs can say with any dramatically reduce the time it takes someone to act like a 30-
degree of certainty that their organization has the workforce it year veteran. We quickly deconstruct how the expert does
needs to meet its one- to three-year goals and strategies. It is what he does so successfully, and prepare simple action steps
ironic then, that most organizations claim their people are that others can take in a methodical order. The knowledge
their most important asset. transfer system also allows CLOs to quickly identify the people
who were never going to be competent, through a methodical
What process for assessing talent risk would you propose? onboarding plan. If they are not making real, measurable
progress within 90 to 120 days, that will indicate a very clear
Steve Trautman: Every team is made up of experts who often action to be taken.
have unique technical knowledge. CLOs should start by
identifying the technical silos that exist within a particular Any final comments?
group, list all the areas of expertise and inventory the
employees who are experts in them. They should then Steve Trautman: Frame your talent discussions around
consider which individuals are doing the work in a way that reducing risk, so that your organization will have enough of
they would like to replicate in others. These experts can be the risk skills at the right time in the right location to execute
your business strategies.
www.cltdsummit.com

2. April 22-24, 2012 | Château Élan Winery & Resort | Braselton | GA
Contact: Sarin Kouyoumdjian-Gurunlian, Press Manager, marcus evans, Summits Division
Tel: + 357 22 849 313
Email: press@marcusevanscy.com
About the Corporate Learning & Talent Development Summit 2012
This unique forum will take place at the Château Élan Winery & Resort, Braselton, Georgia, April 22-24, 2012. Offering
much more than any conference, exhibition or trade show, this exclusive meeting will bring together esteemed industry
thought leaders and solution providers to a highly focused and interactive networking event. The Summit includes
presentations on multi-dimensional ways in delivering business results, e-learning and succession planning.
For more information please send an email to info@marcusevanscy.com or visit the event website at
www.cltdsummit.com
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Complementing our Summit format, the HR Network – marcus evans Summits group delivers peer-to-peer information
on strategic matters, professional trends and breakthrough innovations.
Please note that the summit is a closed business event and the number of participants strictly limited.
About The Steve Trautman Company
The Steve Trautman Co. are experts in knowledge transfer. We provide business executives with the simplest, most
relevant, and quick solutions for knowledge transfer and workforce risk management. For nearly two decades our
proven tools have helped companies—in industries such as high tech, manufacturing, finance, energy, and
communications—assess risk, internally share knowledge, and reduce the loss of talent and experience.
For more information: www.stevetrautman.com
About marcus evans Summits
marcus evans Summits are high level business forums for the world’s leading decision-makers to meet, learn and
discuss strategies and solutions. Held at exclusive locations around the world, these events provide attendees with a
unique opportunity to individually tailor their schedules of keynote presentations, think tanks, seminars and one-on-one
business meetings. For more information, please visit www.marcusevans.com
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