
Telco has a problem. The industry needs a gazillion people with cloud skills, but it’s late to the party. Demand for these workers is at an all-time high, and the best talent is already being wooed by the hyperscalers and industries that embraced a move to the public cloud years ago. How can forward-thinking CSPs cultivate the talented teams they need?
Good news – there are new workforce management strategies and AI tools that can help. In this episode, Kamal Ahluwalia, President of Eightfold, joins me to talk about how telcos can build a killer cloud workforce. Listen now to learn:
- What’s changed about finding and managing talent [04:10];
- How you can engage in-demand workers in today’s hot market [09:25];
- Strategies to develop your in-house talent [10:50]; and
- Why old school CVs and job descriptions are becoming obsolete [14:28].
Hint: Listen to the end for a super fun (and valuable) surprise. Telco execs, don’t miss this one!
THIS WEEK’S GUEST
Kamal Ahluwalia
Kamal has extensive experience in scaling and building businesses, software categories, and surrounding ecosystems. He is a pioneer and practitioner of AI Talent Platforms – a breakthrough technology in which any organization can hire and promote talent based on their potential, while simultaneously creating a more diverse, inclusive, and successful workforce. Kamal is co-author of the book “What’s Next for You – The Eightfold Path To Transforming The Way We Hire And Manage Talent.”


Listen to our conversation by clicking play above or subscribe through your favorite podcast feed.
- Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”
- Listen on your favorite podcast platform — see the links above under the audio player.
- You can find the transcript for this episode here.
Links and Resources
- Check out the Eightfold website
- Don’t miss Cultivate 2022, Eightfold’s talent summit running May 10-11, 2022 in Napa Valley, CA
- Register for Totogi’s May 17 webinar, Why Your Lame Charging System Is Not Smart Enough For The Future
- Read Eightfold’s talent insights report, What Telecoms Need to Build a Future-Ready Workforce (though I would edit it slightly: telcos are ready for 5G, what they aren’t ready for is public cloud)
- Check out this book that Kamal co-authored, What’s Next For You: The Eightfold path to transforming the way we hire and manage talent
- This article from Deloitte outlines six ways to tackle your software engineering skills shortage
- Check out Forrest Brazeal’s Cloud Resume Challenge – and his new book
- Visit the A Cloud Guru website
- Ready to use data to manage your workforce? Get inspiration from a great (and true!) HR movie, Moneyball, where Oakland Athletics manager Billy Bean uses an avant-garde way to find untapped baseball talent – and WINS. It was so effective it changed the game; most teams use his approach today.
Wanna talk public cloud? Telco execs, connect with the TelcoDR team to learn how to tap the immense business value it can bring.
Follow DR
- Have an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!
- Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us know
- Follow Telco in 20 on Twitter @TelcoIn20
- Follow DR on Twitter @TelcoDR
The Telco in 20 podcast was recognized on Forrester’s 2021 list of the Top 100 Channel Podcasts! and Feedspot’s Top 10 Telecom Podcasts list. If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a short review? It takes you seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback and reviews!
Podcast Credits
- Executive Producer and Host: Danielle Royston, TelcoDR
- Senior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo Media
- Editor/Producer: Alisa Jenkins Wilson, Springboard Marketing
- Audio Editing: Andrew Condell
- Music: Dyami Wilson
More episodes from Telco in 20
Telco in 20: Episode 39 | Duration: 00:20:33
Hacking Cloud Costs
A cottage industry has popped up to help companies optimize their cloud environment and spending. Find out what you can do to hack cloud costs.
Telco in 20: Episode 38 | Duration: 00:18:05
What’s Up with Totogi? The Future of Charging
Nothing new has happened in charging in decades – until now. Find out why Totogi’s API-based, pay-by-the-use system is a game changer for telcos.
Telco in 20: Episode 37 | Duration: 00:22:01
A Chat with AWS about the Future of Telco Tech
I had a great conversation with Claus Verner from AWS at MWC22. We talk about how the public cloud is helping to build innovative telco software companies, the launch of TelcoDR, and more.