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Channeling Star Power with a High-Potential Employees Program in Worcester, MA

Investing in High Potentials Leadership Development Is Critical to Organizational Success in the Worcester area

Without the right people, an organization can’t succeed, and in today’s complex, competitive market, it’s not enough to identify staff with the right skill sets. Successful companies look toward the future and ask questions like “Who is going to lead innovation tomorrow?” One of the answers to those questions is high-potential employees, or HiPos. The designation of HiPo doesn’t necessarily pertain to how well a person can perform a specific type of task — there’s a difference between high-potential and specifically gifted. Instead, HiPos are up-and-comers with a high probability of success — which means a high likelihood of contributing to the success of your organization. By identifying and developing HiPos, companies position themselves for a brighter future.

High-Potential Employees Defined

All your employees are valuable, useful and vital parts of your business, and without them, your company would cease to exist. High-potentials are upwardly mobile employees with the capacity to move easily through the ranks and positively influence the staff members they manage. Also known as HiPos, these unique individuals are relatively rare and achieve consistently good results under challenging circumstances. When correctly identified and trained, HiPos can help shape the future of your company for the better.

HiPo Development Programs Explained

Most industry leaders believe that all employees benefit from competency development training programs designed to help them harness their talents. High-potential employees are frequently already in charge of other people — or they’re earmarked for management positions — so HiPo development programs usually have a positive effect within your company. High-potential Development programs work like this:

Stage One: You identify your HiPo employees and create a list of potential course objectives and attendees.

Stage Two: You implement a custom-built high potential development program in which participants benefit from one-on-one mentorship, individual feedback and development planning, face realistic challenges during simulations or shark tank style workshops and gain access to multidisciplinary training opportunities.

Stage Three: Newly energized and inspired, HiPo employees drive growth and move your company forward.

Why Are HiPo Employees So Hard to Identify?

All employees play vital roles in their employers’ successes: Naturally, some people outperform others, and they tend to be seen in a more favorable light by line managers and HR personnel. “High potential” and “high performance” are not interchangeable descriptors, however. High-potential employees form about 3 to 5 percent of any company’s workforce, and the following characteristics can make them easier to identify:

• Though high-potential and high-performance employees both achieve consistently good results, only high-potential individuals reliably perform well when they’re promoted.
• High-potential employees have a deep-seated desire to learn and then to use what they’ve learned to tackle challenges.
• High-potentials, also known as HiPos, have dynamic instincts, which make it easier for them to assess situations and avoid risks in real time.
• High-potential employees aren’t afraid to travel off well-beaten paths to find new ways forward and to discover new solutions to old problems.
• HiPos have an almost compulsive drive to succeed, even if it means that they have to stay late, put in more effort than teammates or even exhaust themselves.

When managers and existing executives identify high-potential employees, and create a high potentials employee development program to help those individuals succeed. In turn, they stand a much better chance of promoting from within when vacancies arise.

How HiPo Development Programs Benefit Your Business

Forward-thinking organizations set themselves up for success by providing well-constructed, high-potential employee development programs for their high-performers.  By offering your HiPos a plan for managing their careers and creating a path for promotion, your organization not only builds more competent employees but cultivates a greater probability of business success. HiPo training programs make your most promising employees  and leaders more effective by teaching them how to leverage their natural talents. In turn, HiPos generate new ideas, encourage other members of staff and generally strengthen your business from within.

During high potentials leadership program, trainers frequently tackle the following topics:

• Mechanisms for success. Managers who truly believe in the phrase “the ends justify the means” need not apply to a high potential training program. In the HiPo employees universe, methods count as much as results, and bullying isn’t a part of the curriculum.
• Decision making. In the business world, calculated choices frequently have to be made on the fly. Innate talent is useful, but pragmatic decision-making skills sometimes must be taught.
• Self care. Because they’re driven by the desire to excel, many HiPo employees push themselves too hard. When they’re taught to pace themselves, high-potential individuals perform more consistently, get sick less often and avoid exhaustion.

When equipped with the above three skills, high potential employees bring even more to the table and your business benefits accordingly.

Why Should You Invest in High Potential Employee Development Programs?

Financially, it just makes sense. Hi potential employees tend to bring more value to companies than non-HiPo staff, and development and training programs only make that more likely. First, because formal High potentials leadership programs are an acknowledgement for the high-potential employee that they have something extra to offer and that you are willing to invest in that. Second, because high potential development programs teach HiPos how to hone their skills and talents to better address business, team and even personal goals. Formalized high-potential development programs can also make your organization more attractive to top candidates. Individuals who have previously been identified as HiPo elsewhere or who self-identify as HiPo (even if they don’t know the term for it) are drawn to companies that invest in leadership training, offer coaching and mentorship opportunities and help employees prepare for brighter futures. But How Do You Identify HiPo Employees?

Yes, performance matters. Turnkey Coaching & Development Solutions’ benchmarking process helps you evaluate performance metrics and other key factors to identify HiPo employees, but we also encourage you to get to know your staff and to work with them in a variety of environments. Via customized team and leadership development programs and working side-by-side with high achievers, you can better identify individuals who demonstrate HiPo traits. Some things that are common to high-potential individuals include:

• Excellent communication skills. Even without training, HiPos tend to be able to express themselves powerfully and clearly, and they often understand the nuances required of leaders.
• Already in leadership roles or being considered for them. Most HiPos don’t wait for formal recognition to excel, and they often work their way into leadership roles or stand out for consideration. At the same time, executives should realize that numerous factors can hold an unidentified HiPo back, so it’s important consider talent at all levels of an organization.
• Knowledge, interest or insight outside of their position. HiPos are rarely happy doing the same job for years at a time, and they’re always looking for a new risk, challenge or opportunity. That means they ask questions about departments and processes outside of their immediate work environment, and they often make work decisions based on big-picture thinking rather than solely on personal, team or short-term goals.

The same talents that make Hi potential employees so likely to succeed in the long term can actually lead to poorer short-term performance, especially if they aren’t identified and property developed. Turnkey Coaching & Development Solutions provides custom HiPo development programs that enable you to engage and develop talented staff as well as establish a plan for retaining high potential employees.

When to Implement HiPo Development Programs

If they’re exposed to the right potential development training program, high-potential employees thrive no matter when they’re identified.. Developing high potential employees requires thoughtful consideration of where they are in their careers; as newcomers may require a different approach than an employee with more experience. Thoughtfully designed   high potential leadership programs treat these two HiPo types differently to ensure optimal development.

1. Early-stage high potential employee development programs may combine 360 feedback, coaching, and mentoring with technology-enhanced learning tools and group-reinforced training methods. When they’re caught early, HiPos usually develop quickly and often provide their parent companies with years of service.

2. Late-stage HiPo employee development programs require greater sensitivity in the set-up phase.  It’s important to foster engagement by leveraging the experience of more senior employees. When encouraged through recognition and personalized learning goals, more experienced employees often help create a rich learning environment.  

Taking time to fully customize a program is considered an important high potential development best practice and by taking advantage of the group’s collective wisdom, high potential programs for employees can achieve impressive results.

In short, company owners should invest in both early-stage and late-stage high-potential employees to cultivate success.

HiPo Programs: The FAQs

Q: Why should I give high-performing employees special attention?

A: All employees benefit from excellent training courses, and business leaders looking to achieve real success should invest in every employee. By identifying high potential employees and crafting a plan to retain high potential employees, HiPo development programs create a succession strategy and ensure the underlying structure of a company can survive beyond the current executive team.  Additionally, in a rapidly changing business environment, employees require specific training and encouragement to ensure innovation, interpersonal effectiveness, and the other leadership competencies required to create a lasting competitive edge.

Q: What is the payoff of a high potential assessment and development program?

A: During high potential training courses, attendees learn how to hone their instinctive skills and how to communicate effectively with others to achieve success. When training programs conclude, attendees emerge with new enthusiasm, fresh ideas and vision for the future. More specifically the ROI of retaining high potential employees yields reduced employee turnover costs, knowledge capital retention, and greater returns due to employee engagement and competency.

Q: What do effective high potential employee assessment and high potential leadership development programs  look like?

A: High potential leadership development programs vary depending on the participants, the company goals and budget. High potential employee development programs best practices include leveraging more experienced HiPos and customizing the program to be strategically aligned with the long-term goals of the organization.  Best practices include using relevant high-potential assessment tools and online 360 feedback tools, personality assessments such as the DiSC or MBTI plus individual development planning, coaching, mentoring, shark-tank style capstone projects and group coaching, to name just a few options. TurnKey Coaching & Development Solutions specializes in custom-engineered high potential talent development programs that deliver multifaceted learning opportunities to help participants advance.

Studies have shown that companies who choose to invest in their people — particularly their HiPo employees — do better, both in the short term and in the long term. High-potential individuals who receive training are much more likely to stick with their employers and tend to feel more inspired when new challenges arise. In turn, they inspire their peers and the staff members they’re entrusted with. In conclusion, when you choose a tailor-made HiPo development program and apply it to the right individuals, your initial investment rapidly pays for itself.

 

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