Time to ditch high potentials?

What happens when some employees are named as talents or high potentials and some are left out? The purpose of closed rooms for certain individuals is a good one - you simply want to make use of promising skills. But while opening the door to a few, there is a risk of closing the door to real development for the vast majority.

At worst, it cements an image of being or not being, having it or not having it. Often when people talk about high potentials they are referring to the top 5% of the organisation. But these are neither easy to identify nor to stimulate. And these people are not, after all, the vast mass of employees on which the success of the company is based. The key is to create opportunities for all employees to grow and develop according to their abilities, and to create real, broad engagement across the business.

But what is the alternative to a narrow focus on talent or high potentials? Firstly, we need to recognise that the vast majority of people have an inherent desire to develop and do well at work. With motivation and commitment comes responsibility, and with responsibility comes results. It's about empowering people to get better at what they do or want to do.

• Consider stopping labelling people as talented - when you do, you label others as less talented.
• A much better option is to ensure that there are different spaces for development, where those with motivation and initiative can go themselves.
• Make sure the whole process is transparent if you choose to have different forms of development programmes. Applicants need to know the criteria on which they are selected - if it is clear, it will be easier for others to understand decisions and what it takes to get there.

The key is to see people as thinking people, all of whom can evolve to help the company achieve its goals. When people grow, business grows!

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