High Potentials

Leaders frequently complain, “We can’t find good people.  Where are all the good people?”

How can leaders identify high potential employees, managers, or volunteers?

First, can they sizzle in the pan awhile?  A flash in the pan is just that, a flash.  High potentials stick to tasks and complete projects.

Second, correct them.  High potentials don’t simply listen to correction, they embrace it and grow.

Third, do they ask questions?  De Bono says, “Those who think they know, don’t.”

High potentials possess more than knowledge and skill.  They possess personal qualities that take them higher.

Warning:  Wanting a person to be a high potential because they are good looking, smart, skilled, or socially appealing doesn’t make them a high potential.  It makes them dangerous.

Can you add to this list of things to look for in high potentials?  Can parents nurture these qualities in sons and daughters?

Leadership Freak,

Dan Rockwell