Cornerstone OnDemand + Sonar6 = Spectacular Like
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As you may have noticed, we are setting sail on a new, exciting journey at Cornerstone OnDemand. Last week, we announced the acquisition of Sonar6. Sonar6, based in Auckland, New Zealand, represents the first acquisition for Cornerstone and a huge opportunity that accelerates our strategy to deliver the best talent management solutions to companies of all sizes.
I’ve been a big fan of Sonar6, even dating back to 2008 when I wrote a blog post, We Are Doing Performance Management All Wrong. One of the many reasons why I’ve always admired Sonar6 is that they’ve taken a different approach to talent management. They recognized very early that their customers – mostly high growth, small-to-medium size businesses (SMB) — need something that is simple, easy-to-use and delightful for the user. They haven’t focused on the process but rather the outcome and have delivered the most innovative tools that enable employees to make more effective talent decisions.
Sonar6 is not just a great talent solution specifically for small businesses. It’s a great team and a very cool company. All you have to do is check out their videos to get a feel for their culture. I’ve had the pleasure to spend time with Mike Carden, Mark Hellier, Pete Weaver and the rest of the Sonar6 team. I am lucky and excited to get a chance to work with them.
I encourage you to read what others are saying about the acquisition including:
- ZDNet: Cornerstone and Sonar6 – A Really Good Deal
- Bersin: Cornerstone Acquires Sonar6: Talent Management for SMB
- Inside Talent Management: Cornerstone Acquires Sonar6
- IDC Link (Subscription Required): Cornerstone OnDemand to Acquire Sonar6 for $14 Million
My favorite quote about the acquisition is from Ed Newman who stated, “…this is a classic example of a company deciding to Zig while everyone else is Zagging”. I couldn’t have said it better myself.
Note: The above photo was taken on the day our acquisition was announced in the Auckland harbor. The boat includes our Sonar6 and Cornerstone team ready to set sail on our journey.
Tagged as: acquisition, cloud computing, cornerstone ondemand, Sonar6, Talent Management
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Can Big Data Predict Your Future Stars?
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Within one week, Jeremy Lin, has gone from a relative unknown to a global sensation. In the same week, he went from near unemployment to a sporting sensation now referred as “Linsanity“.
Interestingly, about 1 ½ years ago, the Hoops Analyst blog nearly predicted his imminent success. When analyzing his college performance, particularly 2-point field goal percentage and his RSB40 (a combined score of rebounds, steals and blocks per 40 minutes) he ranked among the elite. These numbers are important as they highlight the potential for future performance and “show NBA athleticism better than any other, because a high score in both shows dominance at the college level on both ends of the court.”
When circumstances change, in this case a promotion to the NBA, opportunity and situation play an important factor that is hard to measure. Additionally, one week is yet statistically significant and time will tell if his performance can be sustained over time. Nonetheless, those that analyzed his past performance shouldn’t be surprised by his rising star.
That begs the question – why aren’t most companies analyzing their employee data to find the rising stars. One could argue that Jeremy Lin’s heritage (Chinese) and experience (Harvard) didn’t necessary sound the bell in an industry where pedigree and success looks very different. Every company must have many Jeremy Lin’s running around their offices. The answer, though, is most won’t be found (and likely lost) until performance focuses on the outcome instead of the process.
Tagged as: cornerstone ondemand, Jeremy Lin, linsanity, NBA, Talent Management
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