Do you remember? It started with a buzz around the water cooler. "You know that this thing won't work when we get to the year 2000. In the '60s, the programmers decided to save a few bytes by assuming the 19 at the start of the year field -- no one thought that this stuff would be used for so long. We're not even sure that we have the source code. Someone's going to have to do something about that someday before it's too late."

Well, I'm starting to hear the same sort of buzz, although this time, it's not about the software, it's about the people.

"Have you noticed that most of our managers and executives are about the same age? They're all baby boomers, and they're going to start to retire in the next few years. We're not sure that we have the managerial bench strength to fill these roles. Somebody's going to have to do something about that someday before it's too late."

Soon, we are going to have to start preparing the next generation of technical leaders to accept responsibility, to carry forward. But so far, not too much is happening. I sense that this is the year when many organizations are going to start getting serious about planning for this inevitability.

But this time, as opposed to the Y2k event, legions of consultants, contractors and outsourcers won't solve the problem. If you want new and effective leaders, you will need to grow your own. It will become a tight market for buying talent, and the talent you're able to buy won't come with loyalty.