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    You are here Home » high potential notification

    Leadership Growth Starts with Courageous Communication

    Last updated on Sep 1, 2016 by Dan McCarthy · This post may contain affiliate links

    Guest
    post from Matt Paese

    Talent
    Exec:
      So, we
    have a serious leadership shortage and it’s getting worse
    .

    CEO:  So hire more people.

    Talent
    Exec:
      We’re
    doing that. It’s not enough
    .

    CEO:  What about our development programs? Aren’t
    they working?

    Talent
    Exec:
    Not quickly enough. We need to get more people
    into the pipeline. Like now
    .

    CEO: Which people?                                

    Talent
    Exec:
      The
    ones with leadership potential. The ones who will grow the fastest
    .

    CEO:  Okay. What do we say to everyone else?

    The decision to accelerate
    leadership growth comes quickly and easily. There’s often no alternative.  But things get messy when you have to decide
    whom to accelerate. That means differentiating between people by their levels of
    potential. This too can be done, with the right approach and tools, and it
    works particularly well in a private conference room, far away from the eyes
    and ears of the rest of the company.


    Out in the hallways, talking
    about accelerated leadership growth gets tricky.  Sitting down with the top performers to share
    the good news is easy and rewarding. 
    It’s figuring out what to say to everyone else that hijacks good
    intentions.  Referring to some leaders as
    “high potential”, or to development
    efforts as “acceleration programs”
    can be like tip-toeing through an employee engagement landmine.  Say the wrong thing and you’ll signal a
    secret in-group.  Only the cool kids get
    development.  Same old no-diversity boys
    club.  Enter: morale crisis.

    But leadership shortages
    cripple business progress and create urgency for accelerated development.  It’s not like there’s an option to do nothing.  Still, we’ve seen some of the most determined
    organizations embark on the effort to identify high-potential leaders, only to
    be stymied by philosophical resistance. The rationale goes like this: "We can’t create an elitist culture,"
    and "What will we say to the ones
    who aren't identified?"


    So, when your business
    situation mandates that you grow leaders faster from within, and you can’t
    accelerate everyone at once, what are the right messages to share?

    Start
    With Acceleration Ground Rules

    Acceleration is an investment
    in the business that also has big impact on culture.  Although not all people in an organization
    will be involved, it’s fair to say that acceleration affects everyone – by
    inclusion or omission.  So it’s essential
    to establish some ground rules that can be discussed openly with the entire
    organization.  Below are the basics of a
    clear and public communication plan.  If you
    can’t discuss these freely, chances are you’ll get resistance, and ultimately struggle
    to grow leadership:

    ·        
    We
    need this.
    Accelerating the growth of a subset of leaders
    (with high potential) is a business necessity.

    •     
    Everyone is eligible, although not everyone
    can participate at the same time. Diversity is a value.

    •     
    It’s not a club.  Those receiving specialized development
    experiences will rotate periodically.

    •     
    It’s not a promise.  Those receiving specialized development are
    not guaranteed promotions – all promotions are based on readiness for the
    requirements of the role.

    •     
    It doesn’t deny growth for others.  Everyone in the
    organization still receives development.

    •     
    Everyone matters to the company’s future.  Not being offered special
    accelerated development does not lessen one’s value to the organization, or
    limit ones prospects for advancement.

    Each organization has to customize these messages, but
    establishing a clear narrative that people can discuss, and even debate, is
    part of the essential foundation of an organization that truly works at growth.  Making adjustments is healthy.  In fact, doing so signals to the organization
    that you’re listening.

    Be
    Straight with Accelerated Learners, and Offer a Choice

    Most people appreciate the
    opportunity to learn at work.  But when
    the objective is to learn faster,
    that’s different.  Apprehension is not
    unusual.  But one thing is sure: People
    won’t learn faster if they’re not aware that doing so is the objective.  Translation: 
    You have to tell people that they’ve been identified for accelerated
    learning.  You don’t have to call them “high potentials”.  In fact, you don’t have to name people at all
    – just name the experience they’ll be part of (e.g., specialized learning, the leader
    experience, etc ).  That helps to avoid
    perceptions of permanent designations.

    But be careful.  It's not enough to simply tell high-potential
    leaders that management thinks highly of them and explain what will happen next.
    That alone won't cultivate the engagement needed to drive accelerated learning.
     Individual leaders must be offered the
    choice to participate, or to opt out without negative consequences.

    Oddly, this practice is
    routinely overlooked. Perhaps in days gone by leaders were more predictable in
    their desire for advancement.  Not so anymore.
     Fewer leaders seek leadership
    advancement, and those who do often have conditions.

    Step
    Up to the Conversations Your People Want

    It’s easy to have healthy
    discussions with top performers.  But it’s
    tough when someone asks, “Why not me?”
     Weaknesses in the performance management
    system, coupled with a lack of skills among top leaders to navigate these
    conversations, can create resentment among those not identified as high
    potentials.  They don’t get a sound
    explanation of why, or they're left with a feeling that their advancement possibilities
    are limited.  

    Wary of these outcomes, many
    organizations adopt policies of secrecy, keeping the names of high-potential
    leaders known only to an inner circle of senior players.   But while this approach seems to sidestep the
    communication challenges, it undermines the original intent of the acceleration
    effort.  It’s not necessary or prudent to
    make lists of names and potential status public, but that doesn’t make saying
    nothing the better alternative.

    Imagine you’re the high
    potential leader: You’re experienced, work exceptionally hard, and your track
    record shows it.  Management has plans
    for you, if you can grow.  They not only
    hope, but need you to acquire new
    skills and capabilities, and quickly. You’ll need to stretch yourself to take
    on new challenges. You may be asked to participate in key projects that can
    teach you crucial lessons, or you may attend formal learning experiences that
    provide instrumental insights.

    But no one has mentioned any
    of this to you.

    Somehow, when leaders graduate
    to senior management, they become weirdly hesitant to talk honestly about the
    performance and potential of others.  But
    this doesn’t square with what most people want. 
    Ask nearly any employee, particularly the high performers, and they’ll
    beg for more feedback, not less.  It’s no
    secret that people want to know how they’re doing, and what their prospects for
    the future look like, even if the news isn’t good.  These fundamental truths are core to the
    effort to grow leaders.

    One thing is sure: Avoiding
    these conversations makes the problem worse, particularly when the organization
    is facing a critical leadership shortage. 
    Closing the gap is not a task management can accomplish alone.  And for that reason, it’s essential to
    confront a leadership crisis by starting with your communication plan.  Learn to talk about leadership potential with
    all your people, and you’ll soon learn to do what it takes to grow the leaders
    you need.

    About
    author Matt Paese:

    Matt Paese is a vice president of succession
    management and c-suite services for Development Dimensions International, or
    DDI. He is the co-author of Leaders Ready Now, out
    in June, and Grow Your Own Leaders.
    In his work at DDI, Matt consults with senior leaders to design and implement
    strategic organizational talent initiatives, including succession management,
    CEO succession, executive assessment, executive coaching, development and team
    building.
    His insights have
    been featured by media outlets such as the Wall Street Journal, Fortune,
    and the Financial Times
    .

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