Identifying and Developing Talent

Here are the typical questions that our role model leaders used to identify Emerging Leaders:

Track Record/Ability to Execute:

• Have they performed well in varied assignments and stretch assignments?
• Do they excel in ambiguous situations?

Relationship Building /Influence/Communication Skills:

• Can they build a strong case to influence their peers to their position/view?
• What do others think of them?
• What kind of impression do they make when I interact with them?

Passion and Ambition:

• Do they have a sense of urgency around taking on challenging and important projects?

Passion for Learning: :

• Do they have an openness to and passion for learning?
• Are they highly motivated to continuously learn?

One of the difficult questions organizations face is whether or not to let people know that they have been labeled has "high potential," with the natural concern being the possibility of creating a sense of elitism. The majority of companies favored telling people, with one respondent noting, "It is important to let high potentials know their status in the organization. Competition for this talent is fierce and we want them to know that they have a future here."

Finally, our role model leaders spent an average of 24 percent of their time identifying and developing leadership talent with high potential. And virtually all wished they could spend more.

In the next column we'll review what we learned about the practical ways that these best-of-the-best line leaders developed their talent, what clues they saw that indicated that someone was in trouble, how they helped to keep them from "derailing," and some final tips they have for the rest of us.