Use succession business metrics to develop strategies to retain top talent.

Their leadership development program (LDP), established in 2008, is a yearlong experience that helps future leaders around the world (the company maintains offices in more than 40 countries and employs more than 10,000 employees) develop the leadership and business skills needed to succeed. Because business needs and leadership gaps change from year to year, a program that was current one year may seem out of date the next.

MWH Global (now part of Stantec) is an engineering, consulting, and construction firm with a focus on water and natural resources projects. High turnover meant that they needed to replace employees (which is costly and often difficult given shortages of workers with the technical skills MWH needs), and that innovation, company culture, and institutional knowledge could be negatively affected.

Overcome the challenges of finding the right talent and keeping them.

Several hiring and training initiatives are helping veterans make the transition from the battlefield to the boardroom.