Unearthing hidden gems in the workplace
Only 1 in 7 ‘high performers’ turn out to be high-potential; how can you find your company’s stars?
How many times have you seen a high performer who was “destined for greatness” promoted to manager… only to see them strike out in the role? This is because many people confuse performance with potential: strong performance is only one of the attributes of a successful leader. In fact, as CEB research suggests, only one in seven “high performers” turn out to be highpotential employees. So how do you successfully identify and then develop your stars of the future?
Involve the right people
As Dr Eric Hanson of Development Dimensions International explains, a process to identify your future stars is just like any other investment of the organisation’s time and resources. Get your “recruiting” managers involved early. Clearly define what “high potential” means for your organisation. Make sure everybody understands the programme expectations and knows how to use each stage of your assessment and development framework. Look beyond your high performers to identify a pool of employees with leadership potential. As Henry Stewart asserts in The Happy Manifesto, “people should be chosen to manage people… on the basis of how good they are at managing people”.
Making an initial assessment using a tool like CEB’s “Aspiration/Ability/Engagement” model can be helpful to narrow the field. A manager who works closely with the employee should perform this first evaluation, asking:
• Is the person capable of “rising” to a more senior role with all of its new challenges (“Aspiration”)?
• Will that person be “effective” in such a role; do they have the right competencies (“Ability”)?
• Is the person a good cultural fit who is “committed” to staying longer term (“Engagement”)?
Identify the high potential attributes your organisation values
A more detailed assessment is the next step for your pre-screened pool. As Jack Zenger in Forbes suggests, think about the individuals who have been successful in your organisation in the past. What competencies did they demonstrate? Make a list of their 10 key strengths and use it to build your detailed assessment framework. Share it with recruiting managers so that they know what to look for.
Zenger, Hanson and others have crafted high-potential “behaviour” checklists that consider the complex terrain of senior roles. The behaviours in their examples range from demonstrating collaboration and teamwork, to willingness to innovate, authenticity, ability to develop others, communication skills, cultural fit, results focus, strategic perspective, change management skills or learning capabilities. However, your final list of competencies will depend on what your organisation needs in its talent pipeline. If it’s hard to find candidates with all ten capabilities, then as Zenger suggests, refine your criteria to the three to five strengths you believe are paramount.
Set up focused development programmes
It’s not enough to identify somebody as “high potential”. Once you have selected your final group, make sure you have a focused programme to develop and support them. As Kyle Lagunas of New Talent Times suggests, this could include a range of initiatives:
• Delegating more demanding responsibilities
• Setting up internal buddying or shadowing programmes with senior management
• Establishing regular internal or external coaching sessions to work on weaker skill areas
• Attending training courses to take existing skills to the next level or to strengthen soft skills (eg, emotional intelligence for leaders, advanced communication skills)
• Assigning them to mentor or train others, like junior staff, interns
• Creating projects for them to take ownership and gain new experience
With such a structured approach to identifying potential, you will be well on your way to building a talent pipeline that will create true value for your organisation.