How to Build a Growth-Driven Strategy to Identify your High Potentials?

Competencies like agility and drive form the backbone of any efficient HiPo strategy. However, depending on the job level and the industry, several competencies may outweigh others. HR professionals agree that the propensity to lead, people management skills, initiative and innovation, strategic and critical thinking, etc. are crucial to the success of a HiPo identification program.

Since agility is an innate ability that cannot be externally developed, it is assessed using personality tools and behavioral evaluations. Such assessments map and measure the individual’s competency to understand ambiguous situations and navigate through them smoothly.

The ideal way to improve HiPo strategies at organizations, it is crucial for leadership teams to get more involved throughout various stages of developmental planning. Close collaboration during the stages of value definition and competency outlining, ensures that the organization gets a stronger HiPo strategy. In other words, communication and awareness are the keys here.

Uni-directional approaches towards a developmental program doesn’t work anymore. Hence, an IDP process in an organization needs to be evolutionary and dynamic. The goal is to convert high potential professionals into organizational assets that last for long. And the same is achievable through a systemic and constantly monitored developmental journey. Frequent feedback sessions, open communication, and platforms to accommodate all learning styles is now more essential than ever before.

Subject matter experts as well as organizations are divided in their opinions about this topic. While many businesses believe that HiPo assessments should be strictly industry-specific or company-specific, experts have a greater tilt towards an industry-agnostic and futuristic approach.