The High Potential Roadmap

A top concern for CEO’s, often cited in literature, is succession planning and leadership bench strength: Does the company have the leaders needed to execute todays and future strategic growth priorities?

This article is meant to remove the mystery behind how CEO’s and company executives assess, calibrate, and identify enterprise leaders to whom they likely will give new and expanded career opportunities and promotions.

Over my nearly 40-year career, I have facilitated literally hundreds of talent evaluation and succession planning meetings with top executives across multiple companies, industries, and geographies. The criteria these executives use to assess individuals’ potential and career trajectory is shrouded often in secrecy.  This leads to distrust between individuals and executives and erodes employee commitment to the organization. In turn, the company’s top performers and highest potential individuals - those often on executive succession plans - feel they must leave the current company to achieve their career goals and ambitions.

While there are nuance qualities and unique skills specific to different industries and companies, I have identified five categories on which executives most often focus their talent calibration and succession planning discussions.

The first thing executives almost always start with and ask … is this person a proven performerwith a track record and history of outstanding performance?  Follow-on questions often include:

·      “How has this person performed in previous roles?”

·      “How has this person performed in different situations and with different types of people?”

·      “When put in new situations, has the person succeed faster than peers?”

·      “Is this person proven to be reliable and dependable?”

The second category executives often explore when calibrating talent is … Does the individual have the mental capacity to lead at higher levels?  Questions here often include:

·      “How has this person handled more responsibility or broader authority in the past?” 

·      “How has this person handled complexity, challenging issues, or new problems?

·      “How has the individual demonstrated they can think critically and strategically?”

·      “Does the individual make connections that other do not readily see; do they look at issues holistically and deeply, asking second and third-level questions?  

·      “How does the person deal with ambiguity and change - do they see the world as black and white, or do they see problems as questions and possibilities?” 

·      “Does the individual ask why or why not and what if?”

·      “Is the person capable of making decisions even when not all facts or details are fully defined?”

The third category of questions tend to focus on … Is the individual curious and a continuous learner? When exploring this category, executives ask questions like:

·      “Does the person have the disposition for dealing with tough feedback?”

·      “Do they proactively seek feedback to improve themselves?” 

·      “How has the person demonstrated learning new skills in the past?”  

·      “Does the individual show the resiliency to learn and bounce-back from failure or, do they repeat the same mistakes and or crumble under tough feedback?”

Fourthly executives ask … Does the individual have the desire, willingness, and drive to

take on more?  The related questions here include:

·      “How in the past has this person shown initiative?” “Does the individual do more than what's asked of them?”

·      “Has the person shown an aptitude and desire to lead both work and people?”

·      “Has the person proactively volunteered for new or different assignments?”  Executives want people on their teams who say yes to opportunities (not no) and who enthusiastically take on new opportunities and assignments.

Finally, executives explore individuals’ social skills and emotional intelligence. Questions asked include:

·      “How does the person handle tough business and people situations?”

·      “How effectively does the individual communicate and relate to various stakeholder groups (i.e., front-line employees; middle management; senior leaders, Board of Directors; etc.)?” 

·      “How effective is the person at explaining complex issues?” 

·      “Is the person politically adept and able to maneuver through the organization to get things done?”

·      “How effective is the individual at sizing up talent and getting the most out of the people around them?”  

·      “What type of work environment does this individual promote/create?”

Armed with the above information, there are specific actions individuals proactively can take to increase the likelihood of being identified as a high potential at their current company; someone their company’s executives will be willing to promote into bigger and more strategic leadership roles. 

1.    First and foremost, individuals must strive for excellence in everything they do and produce. Executives are more willing to give opportunities to people who they trust and have confidence will deliver high quality work time and time again.  Executives want people around them who can execute at high levels and who have a strong work ethic to get a lot accomplished.  If you are someone seeking to stand out among your peers, ask yourself the following: Am I giving it my all? Am I delivery “A” quality work on time and every time? Am I doing my job to the very best of my abilities? Is my work done thoroughly, thoughtfully, accurately, and with high quality. Am I demonstrating a real bias for action and execution? This notion of strong execution, delivering high-quality work, and having a deep work ethic sounds simple, and yet not everybody has it. These qualities really do differentiate at all stages in one’s career.

2.    Secondly, I tell individuals to find ways to say “yes” to new opportunities. Again, this sounds trite and easy. But, when the proverbial opportunity comes knocking on your door, if you are someone who wants to get ahead and be recognized as a go to person and future leader for your company, then you must say yes; and then take on the new challenge with energy and enthusiasm. Too often throughout my career I have experienced individuals who say no to opportunities because it doesn’t fit into how they perceive themselves, or they believe the work is “beneath” them, or they’d rather just keep doing what they are doing currently.  Executives want people around them who say, “yeah, I'll take that on, or yes I will help figure it out and get it done.” While it is important that an individual accepts new challenges given them, true high potential talent proactively identifies and seeks out new opportunities and volunteer for projects, new work, or assignments. Even if the opportunity does not come with increased pay immediately, high potentials know it will benefit them in the long run because the greater variety of experiences in which one succeeds, the more likely they will succeed in different situations and bigger roles in the future.

3.    Thirdly, it doesn’t take much effort to be an energy adder, not an energy drainer. Executives want to work with people who are positive, optimistic, and have a can-do attitude, and who attack work and change head-on. Be the resilient person in the face of uncertainty and adversity; someone who bounces back and learns from their mistakes, always focusing forward.  I often find myself coaching individuals’ to be problem, not blame-focused. Too often, people want to point fingers when something goes wrong and deflect failure by blaming others.  We're all going to fail at times. Things will go wrong. It's the individual who recovers from failure and keeps their composure during tough times who gets recognized by executives as a “go-to-person” for the company.

4.    The last item I share with individuals is to always surround oneself with diverse people who complement their weaknesses and blind spots - this is true whether you are an individual contributor or a people manager.  We all have weaknesses and blind spots so, why not surround yourself with individuals who make you better, tell you when the “emperor has no clothes” and who fill your gaps by having strengths, experiences, and capabilities that you don’t. Not doing this is arrogance and ultimately will limit your career opportunities.

In summary, early on in one’s career top talent and high potentials differentiate themselves from all others by delivering high quality results time and again, demonstrating a strong work ethic and a willingness to take on new work and new challenges, being curious and an eager learner, and by collaborating and working well with peers and colleagues. Then as one reaches more senior leadership levels, the best talent further differentiates themselves by demonstrating the intellectual bandwidth and capacity to think more strategically and be more future-oriented. They also learn how to lead with a talent mindset, making individuals and teams around them better, and creating genuine followership from others to execute on the company’s most strategic priorities.