First off, this isn't a post on the aging of the workforce. Instead, the "graying" of the workforce refers to the notion that the candidate pool in some industries is simply a revolving door of people that have worked for all the other competitors and are now revolving into a new job with a new company. This is the third or forth stop as they make their way through the industry in largely the same position. These individuals bring with them no new ideas and simply do what they do with a new set of business cards. Instead of being a colorful and vibrant place rich with innovation and new thinking, the workplace becomes a repackaged version of what all the other guys are doing and hence "gray."

This term was used in a recent interview with a financial services executive as he described one of the talent issues he was facing. As he described it, "we've had the same people coming in here with virtually no new ideas, no new blood." As a solution to this problem, he began to focus on college recruiting and recruiting top notch people from other industries. These programs became the means to infuse new blood and new thinking into workforce. He went on by saying, "I can teach people the job I hire them for, what I can't do is teach them to be innovative and think differently from all the other people here. Now, if only I could get the team at corporate to pay closer attention to success I am having with this approach."

This is the perfect example of a business leader "getting it." This financial services executive got deeply involved in the recruiting process and took ownership for the results. Remember, talent management isn't about HR, it's about the business and enabling the business to achieve results through talent.