We’re All High Potentials
In this issue: We’re All High Potentials / With So Many People Quitting, Don’t Overlook Those Who Stay / Want a Can’t Miss Productivity Tip? Forget About Being Productive / The Great Avocado Dilemma
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Why you’re getting this:
I'm Andrea J. Miller and this is my “The Wellthy Leader” Newsletter. I send this to people in my networks, people I’ve met recently, and friends I want to keep in touch with. You can unsubscribe (SEE THE VERY BOTTOM OF THE EMAIL) anytime, I won’t be offended
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We’re All High Potentials
What if you didn’t have to search for talent? What if it was renewable and unlimited?
From the moment we’re born we’re weighed, measured, and ranked.
As we age, we’re tested on things that could very well determine our futures and yet have little or no connection to who we are or what we’re capable of being. Soon we’re categorized, labeled, and sorted.
She’s gifted, and he’s well, um, not so much.
But what does it all really mean?
In the 1960s a Harvard professor, Robert Rosenthal did a study looking at what would happen if teachers were told that certain kids in their classes were destined to succeed. And while the children were chosen randomly, those selected gained more in IQ points …simply because the teachers were led to believe they would.
By the time we start working a lifetime of categorizations can become something of a circular self-fulfilling prophecy. The beliefs of others about us reinforce our beliefs about ourselves, which influences their actions towards us…and round and round it goes determining who is a “high potential”.
The Trouble with Labels
I’m not a writer…or at least I didn’t believe I was, at least until, I had to be. Now, countless articles and a couple of papers later, I guess, if you’re still reading this, you’d (hopefully) say I am.
The ability was always there. It didn’t just magically appear. What it took was an opportunity, the personal willingness to try and potentially fail, and the support of others who let me. The truth is your employees are no different.
It may be as simple as just giving them a chance and providing the tools for success. Similar to the Harvard study, your belief in them might make all the difference.
The Benefits of Talent Spotting
In this age of continual change, a company’s ability to help its staff evolve into who they’re capable of being maybe the differentiator between future organizational success and failure.
If everyone (ok, perhaps not everyone) in your office was seen as a high potential, only just one project away from acquiring the confidence, skills, and abilities needed to obtain success – what becomes possible?
This change in thinking could also have a significant cultural impact. According to Indeed.com number one on the list of reasons why people quit is that they need “more of a challenge” and numbers three and four were “feeling uninspired” and “wanting to feel valued”, respectively.
When a job starts to feel too boring or rote, it’s natural that people begin to look for new opportunities for growth…and, if they don’t find them internally, they quit. And while the reasons for the “Big Quit” are more complex, letting your employees know that you value them, believe in their capacity to achieve more, and will support them in doing so can make a significant difference.
Part of being human is the innate desire to learn, grow and develop. When this need for l improvement is met, it leads to increased employee accomplishments and greater satisfaction. And, conversely, when it’s not addressed dissatisfaction may begin to set in.
With approximately one-third of our lives spent at work, how we feel when we’re there makes it a powerful determinant of health and wellbeing (I had to get that in somewhere :).
The companies that help their staff adapt, grow and reach their potential will not only win the current talent battle but will also be better able to meet the ever-increasing challenges in a rapidly changing world.
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From the Fine Folks at HBR
With So Many People Quitting, Don’t Overlook Those Who Stay
“The marketplace for talent has shifted. You need to think of your employees like customers and put thoughtful attention into retaining them. This is the first step to slow attrition and regain your growth curve. And this does not happen when they feel ignored in the...”
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At the New York Times
Want a Can’t Miss Productivity Tip? Forget About Being Productive Reassessing Productivity in a Post-Pandemic World
And Finally, From The New Yorker Magazine…The Great Avocado Dilemma
“I’m going to leave you alone with this avocado, and you can either eat it right away and have an underripe avocado or wait a little while and have a completely rotten avocado.”
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Are there any other subjects you want me to cover? Hit “Reply” and tell me!
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