Only 15% of Top Performers are High Potentials
Your ability to cultivate people determines your impact in the world.
Surprisingly, only 15% of top performers* are likely to be high potentials (HiPo). Performance is easy to spot. But, if you want to change the world, look for people with character.
After performance, character determines potential.
Leaders without character are disasters in the making.
7 character traits of HiPo’s:
- Belief. Do they believe in your mission and share your values?
- Commitment. Self-satisfaction is the enemy of potential. What are they learning? How are they committed to self-development?
- Flexibility. How do they adapt? Many high performers limit their potential by refusing to adapt.
- Humility. How do they honor others?
- Boldness. (Humility and boldness intentionally follow each other in this list.) Humility without boldness is weakness. How are they confronting tough issues?
- Trusting. How are they letting go?
- Insight. How well do they understand motivations and values of teammates?
Bonus: Energy. How do they respond to challenges?
5 mistakes with HiPo’s:
- Passion for them outstrips their passion for themselves. HiPo’s pull you forward. If you’re pushing them, they aren’t HiPo’s.
- Seduction by talent. Current success doesn’t guarantee success in new roles.
- Secrecy about their selection. HiPo’s should know you believe in them.
- Lack of clarity about the path forward.
- Delay in opportunity for them to stretch their wings.
7 ways to spot HiPo’s on the fringes:
People on the fringes represent untapped opportunities.
- They don’t seek the spotlight.They work hard in the shadows. Flashy isn’t necessarily strong.
- They build strong relationships. Loners aren’t HiPo’s.
- They likely are introverts. Don’t confuse quiet with weak.
- They need time to find direction and confidence. Help them try things.
- They believe in your mission.
- They tell you what they think.
- They may need time to practice self-reflection.
Leaders who identify and develop HiPo’s multiply their impact in the world.
How do you spot high potentials?
How might leaders develop high potentials?
*Improving the Odds for High Potential Programs
Great piece! Clearly HiPos have the “characteristics” of potentially effective and engaging leaders – clear mission and purpose, strong values, commitment, adaptability, humility, boldness, authenticity and trust, and motivational insights.
Nice…and one of your best leadership quotes; “Performance is easy to spot. But, if you want to change the world, look for people with character.” All too often, managers and supervisors look for and recognize the achievements of high performers who are highly visible but fail to consider character and integrity as equally as important in furthering the goals of he organization and accomplishing the missions we are tasked to perform. Character first!
Well said; character rules!
“Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without strategy.” —Norman Schwarzkopf
Dear Dan,
I spot high potentials on the basis of means they use to achieve their goals. There are many people who achieve their goals by using all possible means. There are people who achieve their goals by using right means. I call them high potentials.
Leaders encourage such effort and nurture high potentials. I also feel that high potentials is not always about achieving goals. It is about providing right working environment where other people feel encouraged. High potentials become role model where other people try to follow them. They create backup support and minimise dependence. They create leaders on all levels and always believe in relations and create high degree of mutual respect.
Too many high performers are ‘machines’ in the sense they are always engaged – with little or no self-assessment of how things are going and what if any refinements are of value – lots of chances for overruns and inferior outcomes. I’d add self-assessment to your list of character traits.
The reason most organisations don’t spot this or act on it is because they are not interested in changing the world – they just want to make money.
Good afternoon Dan;
The statement in your 1st paragraph; “But if you want to change the world, look for people with Charcter”, reminds me of two of my favorite quotes as well as lyric’s from a song by the News Boys, (Chritian Rock), called ‘Thats’s how you change the World’, it goes as follows;
“it’s the prayer in an empty room, little things we do when nobody’s around.
It’s a hand reaching out to a heart in doubt, it’s the smallest spark that can lite the dark;
“THATS HOW YOU CHANGE THE WORLD.”
It’s the kind words, a simple smile, more than showing up, it’s going the extra mile.
It’s giving everything, when you got ‘nothingh left’, sharing a little hope with a single breath;
“THATS HOW YOU CHANGE THE WORLD.”
(The News Boys)
And the two quotes; “Leadership is a potent combination of Strategy and Character.
But if you must be with out one, BE WITHOUT STRATEGY.”
Author Gen. Norman Scharzkopf
“Slapping your people around to get them to do what
you want ‘is not’ Leadership – IT’S ASSAULT!”
Author Dwight D. Eisenhower
One more comment before quiting time my friend. Under 5 mistakes with HiPo’s, #3; When HiPo’s do not feel they have your absolute support, they are reluctant to commit to an ‘All-in-Mentality’. HiPo’s are capable of doing extrraordinbary things.
“But they can only do so when they KNOW, “you are in thier corner,
N O M A T T E R W H A T . . . ”
Cheers Dan
SGT Steve
One of the most insightful points is #5
“Humility and boldness intentionally follow each other. Humility without boldness is weakness.”
I have never thought about the combination of humility AND boldness and in the absence of the natural combination, humility can be weakness; powerful stuff.
5. “They believe in your mission.”
However if they see a better path or a fault in the plan, and the company is a text book Peter Principle structured company just bent on making money, they will be overlooked. Text book corporate structure tends to fail when your company bridges over many scopes of industry.