Latest / The Science of Leading / Unlocking High-Potential Talent

Transcript

Unlocking High-Potential Talent · The Science of Leading

• 0:00
  Hey, welcome back to The Science of Leading.
• 0:01
  I'm Claire Monroe-and yep, Edwin Carrington is here too.
• 0:05
  The calm to my chaos.
• 0:05
  So today we're digging into something that totally
• 0:10
  tripped me up early on in my career: the difference between high performers...
• 0:14
  and high potentials.
• 0:14
  It sounds obvious-until you actually try to spot the
• 0:19
  difference.
• 0:20
  Edwin, this one feels simple... but then it really isn't?
• 0:20
  Right-and that's
• 0:25
  the trap.
• 0:25
  Most managers-honestly, most companies-tend to blur the two.
• 0:25
  High performers?
• 0:31
  They crush it in their current role.
• 0:33
  They deliver results.
• 0:34
  You know, the reliable stars.
• 0:34
  But high potential is about what someone
• 0:39
  could do.
• 0:40
  It's future-facing.
• 0:41
  So we're talking about adaptability,
• 0:44
  hunger to learn, willingness to take on ambiguous challenges-plus the
• 0:49
  capacity to grow beyond what they're doing now.
• 0:49
  It's not just about what's
• 0:54
  visible today.
• 0:55
  It's what's underneath.
• 0:55
  Oh, totally.
• 0:57
  I remember that moment clearly.
• 0:59
  I'd just wrapped a project that got a ton of praise-was feeling pretty
• 1:02
  great.
• 1:02
  But then someone else, a peer,
• 1:05
  got tapped for this "future leader" track... and I was like-wait,
• 1:10
  aren't we both killing it here?
• 1:10
  That was the first time I realized... performance
• 1:16
  and potential aren't the same currency.
• 1:16
  And you're not alone.
• 1:20
  It's a common blind spot.
• 1:20
  High performers keep things running-but high
• 1:25
  potentials?
• 1:26
  They push toward what's next.
• 1:26
  You'll often spot them asking about things
• 1:31
  outside their lane.
• 1:32
  Volunteering for messy, undefined work.
• 1:35
  They're curious, strategic, connected to the big picture.
• 1:35
  And here's the
• 1:40
  nuance: it's not just ambition.
• 1:43
  It's a kind of applied curiosity.
• 1:45
  They don't just want to climb-they want to understand.
• 1:49
  To shape what's coming.
• 1:49
  Okay, but... some high performers don't want to
• 1:53
  change lanes.
• 1:54
  They're like, laser-focused.
• 1:55
  Happy where they are.
• 1:55
  So is it fair to say we need to support those folks
• 1:59
  differently?
• 1:59
  Exactly.
• 2:01
  That's the key.
• 2:01
  You don't try to turn everyone into a future VP.
• 2:01
  High performers
• 2:08
  deserve investment to deepen their excellence-give them recognition,
• 2:12
  resources, autonomy.
• 2:12
  High potentials?
• 2:16
  You stretch them.
• 2:17
  Leadership development, mentorship,
• 2:19
  visibility across functions.
• 2:19
  But it starts by knowing who's who.
• 2:19
  So if
• 2:25
  you're managing a team-watch for the people who deliver and lean into
• 2:28
  discomfort.
• 2:29
  The ones who ask the hard questions.
• 2:29
  Easier said than done... but yeah,
• 2:34
  this makes it clearer.
• 2:35
  Thanks, Edwin.
• 2:35
  Let's shift gears.
• 2:38
  Let's talk programs.
• 2:38
  Because... oof,
• 2:40
  I've seen some HiPo programs that felt more like...
• 2:43
  I don't know, awkward talent shows?
• 2:43
  Why do so many of these fall flat?
• 2:43
  Intent
• 2:48
  is good-but execution's often stuck in the past.
• 2:48
  Traditional HiPo programs
• 2:54
  pick a small, senior group-like they're choosing the varsity team.
• 2:54
  But
• 2:59
  data tells us that's short-sighted.
• 2:59
  DDI's global leadership forecast found
• 3:04
  that organizations who cast a wider net-down to first-level managers,
• 3:08
  even early-career staff-see stronger pipelines and better business outcomes.
• 3:08
  Widen
• 3:14
  the lens, and you uncover hidden talent.
• 3:17
  Talent that would've been missed.
• 3:17
  It sounds like common sense-but so many
• 3:22
  companies still default to, "Let's pick our top performers and call it
• 3:25
  a day."And how they pick them... isn't it usually just gut instinct?
• 3:25
  Unfortunately,
• 3:31
  yes.
• 3:32
  And that's where bias creeps in.
• 3:32
  The strongest programs use structured,
• 3:37
  objective tools.
• 3:39
  Behavioral assessments.
• 3:41
  Psychometric data.
• 3:41
  They don't just look for who's already shiny-they look
• 3:46
  for signals of potential.
• 3:46
  And here's the kicker: development needs to be
• 3:51
  immersive.
• 3:52
  Not just a one-time training.
• 3:55
  Think simulations, stretch assignments,
• 3:58
  real-world exposure.
• 3:58
  And ongoing coaching-not a check-the-box workshop.
• 4:02
  A relationship.
• 4:02
  You shared a story once about a mid-sized tech company
• 4:07
  that really flipped the HiPo playbook... I thought it was interesting because
• 4:11
  they weren't huge.
• 4:12
  Can you give our listeners a sense of what they actually changed?
• 4:12
  Glad
• 4:16
  you brought that up.
• 4:17
  They realized they were missing great future leaders because all their
• 4:20
  HiPo picks looked the same-already rising stars.
• 4:24
  So they broadened eligibility,
• 4:26
  used objective assessments for selection,
• 4:29
  and, critically, invested in a coaching model across departments.
• 4:33
  Instead of just a training series,
• 4:35
  every potential got a dedicated coach,
• 4:38
  and they rotated through different business units on stretch assignments.
• 4:42
  The effect was dramatic: not only did their internal leadership pipeline
• 4:46
  get deeper, but engagement improved,
• 4:49
  and, frankly, their financial performance followed.
• 4:51
  It's a clear case for going deeper and wider,
• 4:54
  not just higher.
• 4:54
  You told me once about a mid-sized tech company that
• 4:59
  really changed their whole approach-They weren't massive,
• 5:02
  but they made it work.
• 5:03
  Can you walk us through that?
• 5:03
  Yes.
• 5:05
  They saw a pattern: all their HiPo picks looked the same-already obvious
• 5:10
  leaders.
• 5:10
  So they shook it up.
• 5:12
  They used objective tools to find overlooked potential,
• 5:15
  and they made coaching central.
• 5:15
  Each participant had a dedicated coach,
• 5:20
  and they rotated through new business units on stretch projects.
• 5:20
  The result?
• 5:25
  Stronger pipeline, better engagement... and,
• 5:28
  not surprisingly, improved financial results.
• 5:28
  It was proof that you don't
• 5:34
  need to be huge-you just need to be intentional.
• 5:34
  It's like-if you're building
• 5:38
  a strong bench, you can't just train your starting five.
• 5:38
  You've gotta coach
• 5:42
  the whole team.
• 5:42
  Otherwise when someone gets promoted-or leaves-you've got
• 5:46
  no one ready.
• 5:46
  Exactly.
• 5:48
  Development isn't a luxury for the elite.
• 5:51
  It's how you build resilience.
• 5:51
  Okay-so let's say you do the work.
• 5:55
  You identify high potentials.
• 5:57
  You develop them.
• 5:57
  How do you keep them?
• 5:57
  Because if they leave,
• 6:01
  after all that effort-man, you're back to square one.
• 6:01
  Retention is where
• 6:05
  the rubber meets the road.
• 6:05
  High potentials want clarity: a transparent
• 6:10
  path forward.
• 6:11
  They want challenge-real responsibility,
• 6:14
  not busywork.
• 6:14
  And they want regular feedback that matters.
• 6:14
  Recognition,
• 6:19
  too-formally identifying someone as high potential boosts retention significantly.
• 6:24
  One study showed it cuts the risk of them looking elsewhere by more than
• 6:28
  half.
• 6:28
  That tracks.
• 6:28
  One of my friends-she got formally named a HiPo last
• 6:34
  year.
• 6:34
  Her company made it public, gave her a mentor,
• 6:37
  and threw her some big stretch goals.
• 6:37
  She told me it completely changed
• 6:41
  her mindset.
• 6:42
  Like-"I can see a future here now."But the cool part?
• 6:46
  She started mentoring junior folks,
• 6:47
  too.
• 6:47
  She's got a lot on her plate,
• 6:50
  but she's paying it forward.
• 6:50
  And that's the ripple effect you want.
• 6:50
  High
• 6:56
  potentials who develop others don't just grow your pipeline-they build
• 6:59
  your culture.
• 6:59
  It's how you multiply your investment.
• 7:02
  It's how leadership becomes contagious.
• 7:02
  So it's not about just dangling
• 7:07
  a title.
• 7:07
  It's about trust.
• 7:09
  Visibility.
• 7:10
  Purposeful feedback.
• 7:10
  And when people feel seen-they stick around.
• 7:15
  And they bring others up with them.
• 7:15
  That's the whole game.
• 7:15
  The organizations
• 7:21
  that thrive aren't the ones chasing quick wins.
• 7:23
  They're the ones building systems that sustain themselves.
• 7:23
  Investing in
• 7:29
  people-especially your potential-that's not fluff.
• 7:32
  That's the strategy.
• 7:32
  Whew.
• 7:34
  That's a wrap, huh?
• 7:34
  Such a good one today.
• 7:34
  And if you're listening and
• 7:38
  wondering how to actually do all this-like,
• 7:40
  in your org-You can test out OAD's tools for free at o-a-d-dot-a-i.
• 7:40
  Their
• 7:46
  behavioral assessments make it way easier to spot potential early and
• 7:49
  build the right support.
• 7:49
  Couldn't agree more.
• 7:49
  Thanks for tuning in,
• 7:54
  everyone.
• 7:54
  See you next time on The Science of Leading.