Critical Analysis How to hang on to your high potentials

The article How to hang on to your high potentials by Claudio Fernandez-Araoz, Boris Groysberg and Nitin Nohria talks about the emerging need of companies for experienced and qualified managers. It also talks about the ways to identify, retain and develop high potential employees who possess the willingness to grow and the ability to handle responsibilities of greater scale and scope. The article very carefully elaborates the model for assessing executive potential. An individuals motive, leadership traits and a sense of identity are difficult to change however specialised knowledge and skills can be taught or learned on the job. The author has mentioned that program to manage potential should be aligned with the companys strategy. A strategy that works in one company wont fit in other company. The author has also identified the consequences of a faulty assessment of potential managers in the form of undermined employee morale and exclusion of employee with high potential. Identifying promising candidates involve nomination by employees supervisors followed by assessment of their potential through personality tests. The author has cleverly identified various means of assessing employees potential in the form of references, behavioural interviews, psychometric tests and external assessment. The article very aptly puts across the dilemma a company faces when it wants to put across this high potential classification. Informing high potential employees of their status enhances their retention and productivity. However, a company also has to deal with the disappointment of those not on the list. Many a time companies dont communicate because their assessment processes are unfair. The article also mentions that continuous development of these employees through learning and training is extremely crucial as well. The author suggests that job rotation is the best way to develop managers for larger and complex positions. Carefully choosing a reward strategy for motivating employees is an indispensable part of the entire process. The article, therefore, successfully presents the entire process for identifying high potential mangers, the ways to develop their skills and knowledge and retaining them through proper reward and recognition.