Temptations of a High Potential

Tempta'ons of a High Poten'al

Kevin D. Wilde APRIL, 2014

[email protected] © 2014 All Rights Reserved

Do Not Distribute in Any Form Without Permission

HIGHLIGHTS

90% Leaders not ready to for more senior roles.

70% Leadership pipeline efforts are ineffecNve.

© 2014 Kevin D. Wilde All Rights Reserved Do Not Distribute in Any Form Without Permission

THE ALARMS ARE STARTING TO RING: WE NEED TO IMPROVE AND ACCELERATE GETTING LEADERS READY FOR BIGGER ROLES.

“We go through the iden.fica.on exercise and determine that people are three years away from being ready for their next role. We go back in two years and they are s)ll three years away.” -‐ CHRO, Fortune 500 Technology Company


WE NEED TO RETHINK HIGH POTENTIAL TALENT DEVELOPMENT


ONE APPROACH: RETHINK ACCELERATION EFFORTS FROM AN INDIVIDUAL APPROACH. IMAGINE HAVING COFFEE WITH ONE HIGH POTENTIAL: WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE TO NAVIGATE THE CHALLENGES AND TEMPTATIONS?

Wearing the Label



AS A HIGH POTENTIAL, YOU PROBABLY EXHIBITED THESE VALUED ATTRIBUTES. BUT BE WARNED.


YOUR LABEL CAN BE AS TEMPORARY AS A SNAPCHAT PHOTO. YOUR ORGANIZATION MIGHT HAVE CONFUSING STANDARDS. AND WATCHOUT ALIENATING THOSE WITHOUT THE LABEL.

Learn to Shine While Building Rela'onships


Missed Timing


Assembling the porTolio


AS A HIGH POTENTIAL, THINK ABOUT YOUR WORK AS ASSEMBLING A PORTFOLIO. WHILE ORGANIZATIONS AREN’T ALWAYS CLEAR, THERE ARE FOUR TYPES OF ASSIGNMENT WITH PURPOSE AND TIMING AS VARIABLE AS BAKING CUPCAKES.

Non S'ck -‐ Exposure Assignment

•  Exposure Roles

•  Connect Dots

•  Contribute


A QUICK ASSIGNMENT IS MUCH LIKE BAKING WITH A NON-‐STICK PAN: SHORT, EXPOSURE TO DIFFERENT WORK SETTINGS. BE SURE TO GAIN A BROADER PERSPECTIVE AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

Tooth Pick – Competency Assignment

•  Build or prove competence.

•  Strategy •  Team Leadership •  Customer Savvy •  InnovaNon


A LONGER ASSIGNMENT IS TO HELP YOU DEVELOP OR PROVE A COMPETENCY BEFORE MOVING ON. DON’T BE ANXIOUS TO MOVE UNTIL YOU’VE GAIN SOMETHING IMPORTANT, SUCH AS THESE FOUR AREAS.

Golden – Wisdom Assignment

•  Judgment, wisdom, humility

•  Living with decisions

•  Seasoning with the unexpected


SOME ASSIGNMENTS LAST LONGER – BEYOND COMPETENCE – TO ACHIEVE JUDGMENT, MATURITY AND AGILITY.

Overcooked -‐ Stuck

•  Manager hording

•  LiYle growth, made contribuNon

•  Look for expansion or lifeline


ONE NEGATIVE ASSIGNMENT IS STAYING PAST THE JOB INTENT. SOMETIMES THE ORGANIZATION JUST NEEDS YOU LONGER. SOMETIMES THE MANAGER IS HORDING. PATIENCE AND POSITIVE ATTITUDE HELPS.

Capture the meaning from each assignment


Yes to Every-‐thing


Enrichments to Bend the Curve

Time -‐>

YOU Now

BIG JOB


BY GOING THROUGH A SERIES OF ASSIGNMENTS, THERE IS A NATURAL GROWTH CURVE TO GET YOU READY FOR A BIGGER JOB.

Enrichments to Bend the Curve

Time -‐>

YOU Now

BIG JOB

BIG JOB


SOME ORGANIZATIONS GIVE HIGH POTENTIALS ADDITIONAL WORK TO ACCELERATE THE GROWTH, BENDING THE CURVE.

Enrichment Beyond the Assignment

•  Corporate Task Force •  Internal Mentor •  External Coach •  Execu've Ed Program •  Ac'on Learning Project •  Assessment Center •  360 Feedback •  Job Shadowing •  Peer Network Circle •  Community Service © 2014 Kevin D. Wilde All Rights Reserved


EXAMPLES OF WHAT ORGANIZATIONS OFFER HIGH POTENTIAL TO ACCELERATE DEVELOPMENT.

Talent Accelerators: •  Broader Perspec've of Organiza'on

•  Strategic Thinking

•  Influence and Change Leadership

Skills

•  Self-‐Insight and Self-‐Management

•  Execu've Sponsorship


EACH ENRICHMENT ADDS NEW ABILITIES – THINK MERIT BADGES – TO STRENGTHEN ONE OR MORE TALENT ACCELERATORS.

Reaching Overload! ü Corporate Task Force ü  Internal Mentor ü  External Coach ü  ExecuNve Ed Program ü AcNon Learning Project ü Assessment Center ü  360 Feedback ü  Job Shadowing ü Peer Network Circle ü Community Service


THE PROBLEM OF STRETCH ASSIGNMENTS ALONG WITH TOO MANY ACCELERATORS CAN PUSH YOU INTO OVERLOAD AND FAILURE.

Bridge Lessons

•  Execu've Resiliency •  Execu've Produc'vity •  Execu've Savvy


LEARN TO HANDLE THE ‘EXTRAS’ THE BEST YOU CAN. DEEPER YOUR RESILENCY SKILLS. RECOGNIZE THAT EXECUTIVES ARE OFTEN FACED WITH OVERLOAD. LEARN TO APPROPRIATELY SAY ‘NO’ OR ‘LATER’ TO TOO MUCH. LEAN ON SENIOR SPONSORS TO GUIDE AND HELP.

Strengthen Resiliency Habits & Cul'vate Execu've Savvy


Skipping IT


Dangers Ahead: Bending the curve and blind spots


LOTS OF JOB ASSIGNMENTS AND ACCELERATORS CAN ALSO EXPOSE YOUR WEAKNESSES AND BLIND-‐SPOTS. THIS COULD BE GOOD OR BAD.

Shibing Gears In A Career

Technical/Func'onal (Personal ExperNse)

Managerial (Set ObjecNves, Coach,

Develop)

Leadership (Vision, Strategy)

Professional Manager Execu've


BLINDSPOTS CAN HAPPEN AS THE NATURE AND EMPHASIS OF WORK ELEMENTS CHANGE.

Didn’t address gaps: “What didn’t ma4er before, ma4ers now.” Blocked self-‐insight: “I am successful because of some things and despite of some things.” Didn’t grow in transi'on: “What worked before doesn’t work now.”


FAILURE TO RESPOND WELL TO CHALLENGES OFTEN IS ROOTED IN ONE OR MORE FAULTY BELIEFS AS A HIGH POTENTIAL.

Impact of Asking for and Responding to Feedback?


THE ANTIDOTE TO MANY BLIND SPOTS AND BARRIERS TO GROWTH AS A HIGH POTENTIAL IS TO DEVELOP A PERSONAL HABIT OF ASKING FOR FEEDBACK.

Zenger-‐Folkman (c) Results from 16,644 Leaders

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10

20

30

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Bottom 10% Next 25% Middle 30% Next 25% Top 10%

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rall

Lead

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ffect

iven

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Asks for and Responds to Feedback


Leadership Effec'veness Rises with Openness to Feedback

A LARGE STUDY OF LEADERS SHOW A STRONG RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EFFECTIVENESS AND OPENNESS TO FEEDBACK.

Self-‐PercepNons Not as Accurate as Others’ PercepNons

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Self-Perceptions of Effectiveness Others' Perceptions of Effectiveness

Accuracy in Predicting

Overall Effectiveness (as measured by 360 data)


Zenger-‐Folkman (c)

A SIMILAR STUDY REMINDS US THAT WE ARE NOT GOOD JUDGES OF OUR OWN IMPACT ON OTHERS.

41% Derailed leaders asked and responded to feedback

32% Unable to adapt to new situaNons.


Zenger-‐Folkman (c)

DERAILED LEADERS ARE RATED LOWER AT ASKING FOR FEEDBACK AND ADJUSTING TO NEW SITUATIONS.

As People Age, They Ask For and Respond to Feedback Less Oben


Zenger-‐Folkman (c) Results from 16,644 Leaders

THE PROBLEM IS THE OLDER WE GET, THE LESS OFTEN WE LOOK FOR FEEDBACK TO GROW.

Prac'ce ‘coach-‐ability’ with a growth mindset


Jump without Looking Ahead


Taking or Making the Call to Bend the Growth Curve


BEING A HIGH POTENTIAL MEANS YOU HAVE MANY OPTIONS TO IMPROVE YOUR OWN JOB OPPORTUNITIES – TAKING A RECRUITER’S CALL OR CALLING ONE.


BEFORE YOU JUMP TO A NEW ORGANIZATION, DO AN INVENTORY.

•  Feeling challenged? •  Feeling mo'vated? •  Feeling supported? •  Feeling connected?


CONSIDER FOUR QUESTIONS BEFORE LEAVING. TALK IT OVER WITH A TRUSTED ADVISOR.

Objec'vely Manage Jumping Your Opportunity Curve



WHILE THERE ARE MANY CHALLENGES AND TEMPTATIONS OF BEING A HIGH POTENTIAL, REMEMBER THE GREAT OPPORTUNTIES BEFORE YOU TO GROW AND MAKE A DIFFERNCE IN THE WORLD.


SO THIS ADVICE IS FOR ONE HIGH POTENTIAL LEADER. IF YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE HELPING TALENTED PEOPLE ADVANCE THEIR CAREERS, CONSIDER THE WORKSHEEET ON THE NEXT PAGE TO HELP HIGH POTENTIALS NAVIGATE THE TEMPTATIONS.

Tempta'ons of a High Poten'al Worksheet

Keep the coffee chat going at: www.kevinwildeonline.com [email protected]

Tempta'on Organiza'on Ques'ons Build Opportunity:

-‐ Wearing the Label 1.  How clear and accurate in characteris'cs? 2.  Degree of appropriate transparency? 3.  Coaching on Teamwork?

-‐ Missed Assignment 4.  How clear and disciplined in assignment management? 5.  Degree of assembling the best mix: prime experiences, cri'cal

competencies, engagement? 6.  What prac'ces to balance development and contribu'on in

'ming and sharing high poten'al talent?

-‐ Yes to All 7.  Degree orchestra'ng the whole development deal beyond any tac'c?

8.  Teaching resiliency, networking and execu've produc'vity?

-‐ Skipping IT 9.  Degree we provide feedback early to develop “coach-‐ability” and growth mindset?

10.  How skilled and commiped to provide ‘tough love’ with trust?

-‐ Jump without Looking Ahead 11.  How many ‘s'cky’ reten'on prac'ces do we apply to high poten'als?

12.  Do we have regular check-‐ins with trusted advisors?


Thank You

ConNnue the Coffee Chat: www.kevinwildeonline.com

[email protected] © 2014 Kevin D. Wilde All Rights Reserved


LET’S CONTINUE COMPARING NOTES ON HELPING HIGH POTENTIALS. PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK OF THESE IDEAS AND PLEASE SHARE YOUR OWN THOUGHTS.

Temptations of a High Potential

Career

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