Becoming a High Potential

Being a HiPo, or High Potential is an honor, and often it’s an honor that the HiPo doesn’t even know he/she has. Each employer approaches the development and discloser of who its HiPo’s are in a different manner, but in the end they always have someone who is targeted whether it’s with or without the knowledge of the HiPo. So let’s look at how and why a company would even want to pick a HiPo and how you can raise the possibility of becoming a HiPo.

First what is a HiPo? A HiPo is a person who the company deems to have the “potential” to become a leader in the future. They may or may not be in a leadership position at the moment, but the fact still remains that they are singled out as having the “potential” to be a future leader. According to the Corporate Executive Board a HiPo is someone who has Aspiration, Ability and Engagement but I would add that there is more than just these three. I would say that if you want to be a HiPo you need to have a willingness to get out in front of the crowd and perform. This might be seen as engagement, but it’s the willingness factor that is unique. Many people are willing to engage when they have to, but you as a HiPo should want to engage, in fact you should look for opportunities to engage. Don’t just engage those around you, engage with those that can teach you, mentor you and guide you. You might make mistakes but company’s aren’t looking for the perfect person, they’re looking for the right person. Jim Collins, author of the book Good to Great, will tell you that getting the right person on the right bus is the goal, not just getting any person on the right bus. So you need to take risks that are worth the taking. If you mess up, then get up, brush off the dust, take responsibility for what you did and move towards a solution. Always be solution oriented not blame oriented. Make sure you blame no-one but always thank everyone for their contributions to the success of things. Again Jim Collins will tell you that a great leader is someone who recognizes that others helped him/her get to where he/she is and they are grateful to those for that helped. Last I'd say you need to be resilient and agile or have that ability to recover quickly and change directions on the spot. A lot of people can recover but do they have the ability to be agile enough to change directions and actions when needed? You need to be able to do this.

So your list is simple:

• Willingness to get out in front of the crowd and perform
• Take risks worth taking
• Take responsibility
• Blame no-one and thank everyone
• Be resilient and agile

Do these sound familiar? They should, they are common knowledge and age old wisdom. I would call these principles. A principle is something that is eternal in meaning and value. Leaders from all ages have employed these “principles” and succeeded. Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Gandhi, the Muslim prophet Muhammad PBUH, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Margret Thatcher, Ronald Reagan, Simon Bolivar, Jose Artigas. All these historical leaders did these things and they succeeded but more than that they started out as “Potentials” and become the leaders they had the potential to become.

What are you doing today to become a HiPo in your company? Are you doing these things? Do you have the aspiration, ability and engagement? Do you take risks, get in front of the crowd, take responsibility and thank everyone? If not, get started today.

Onward to Success