Converting Potential to Success: Actionable Tools

I ran into this very interesting HBR article titled "Turning High-Potentials into Success: The missing link in leadership development". 

The article talks of a process the authors have successfully deployed. Two things captured my attention and that can be used immediately to develop ourselves and also our team:

• They have identified 4 traits that are hallmarks of potential according to another research and these are 1. Curiosity (a penchant for seeking out new experiences, knowledge, and candid feedback and an openness to learning and change), 2. Insight (the ability to gather and make sense of information that suggests new possibilities), 3. Engagement (a knack for using emotion and logic to communicate a persuasive vision and connect with people) and 4. Determination (the wherewithal to fight for difficult goals despite challenges and to bounce back from adversity)

• They also have identified eight competencies that we believe are crucial for: results orientation, strategic orientation, collaboration and influence, team leadership, developing organizational capabilities, change leadership, market understanding and inclusiveness.

The best part though is that they have talked about seven levels for each of the competencies and tell which of the four traits are required to excel in a given competency. Check the table below:

This is a very useful table in many ways:

1. We can use it to assess where we are seek help to get to next level

2. Use the same to have engagement conversation with team members in a more structured way

3. Possibly set levels for each competency for each title and help people progress.

Do let me know if you use it or have any insights on how else this could be used.