How to Identify Your HiPos for What They Can Do, Not for What They Have Done
Without objectivity, data used to identify high potential employees is challenging. And when your high potential employees go unrecognized, your business loses credibility on many levels. To ensure your HiPo identification process is meaningful for your organization, you need first to have the criteria defining a HiPo person coupled with the discipline of managers ensuring they follow a rigorous and fact-based process.
The importance of hiring from within is amplified by research that demonstrates when promoting from within the success rate is four times greater than when a person comes from external resources.
Succession planning is most successful when organizations approach the identification of high potential future leaders in a more fact-based and objective manner. To accomplish this, companies, need to integrate their development and succession planning systems. Too often organizations have built their talent management and organizational development in independent silos.
A second critical ingredient to successful succession planning is creating leaders who are talent champions. For a person to be a talent champion, they must own the responsibility of developing future leaders. Having this understanding shifts the responsibility away from the Learning and Development team and onto the manager of the employee.
Learning Objectives:
- Knowing that a high performer is not high potential and why.
- Understanding why the managers feeling the person is of high potential is not enough.
- Know what the issues are associated with predicting employee potential.
- The importance of linking employee fit and company culture.
- The importance of breaking down silos within HR.
- Knowing why one can be capable but not competent.
- What questions managers/leaders need to ask employees before they consider who a HiPo is.
In-person session offerings are on a first-come, first-served basis.
David S. Cohen
Dr. David S Cohen, Ed. D. has a vision: organizations that thrive by living their values in good times and especially VUCA times. David's first career was in elementary and high school education, where he built a reputation for building school communities based on purpose and social responsibility. Thirty-three years ago, David transitioned to corporate consulting. As a consultant, David earned a reputation as a contrarian consultant because he does not always follow what is popular in his chosen field. David works with leaders helping them understand what is and what is not necessary to build an active and positive organization. He helps leaders' step into life's challenges, inspiring them to create a sustained approach through a values-based focus, resulting in better business results. David has had the privilege of partnering with firms across five continents and all business sectors. Additionally, he has worked with governments, from the local to the federal levels, and not-for-profits.
He has taught at Queens University School of Labour Relations and the executive education program at the Schulich School of Business, York University. Currently, he teaches organizational development at Durham College. David earned his doctorate from Boston University in Humanistic and Behavioural Studies. During that time, he also completed independent studies at the Harvard School of Education, where he was a teaching assistant.
David is a keynote speaker, educator, disruptor, facilitator, team builder, and executive coach. He has authored two books and numerous articles in professional journals.
- The Talent Edge: A Behavioral Approach to Hiring, Developing, and Keeping Top Performers (John Wiley and Sons, August 2001)
- Inside the Box: Leading With Corporate Values to Drive Sustained Business Success (Jossey-Bass September 2006)
When David is not travelling, he is hanging out with his five grandchildren, when possible, attending Toronto Raptor's games, or relaxing with family and friends.
David is honored to be recognized by the GlobalGurus30 as one of the top 30 GlobalGurus in Organizational Culture.