6 / 32
6
/ Canadian Government Executive
// April 2016
Strategy
How to re-engage
a high potential
employee
Craig
Dowden
At first glance, the title may seem counterintuitive.
By their very nature, high potentials (HiPos) are
assumed to be, or even defined as, very engaged.
Yet, when we look at the evidence, this is not
necessarily the case.
A
2009 study by the Corporate
Leadership Council (CLC) dis-
covered that 25% of HiPos were
planning to leave their current
organizations within a year. This statistic
is particularly troubling, as the same re-
search indicated senior human resources
executives believe HiPos are almost twice
as valuable to the organization compared
to their lower potential counterparts and
three times more likely to succeed as its
future leaders.
This leads us to an important question:
how can we engage or re-engage high
potential employees? Based on the re-
search, there are several questions lead-
ers and HR executives should ask:
1
Do your high potential
employees receive
sufficient personalized
attention?
An old axiom states “the squeaky wheel
gets the grease.” When faced with lim-
ited time and unlimited pressures, lead-
ers and executives may dedicate most of
their attention to the weaker performers
in the group. This practice can negatively
impact the engagement of HiPos.
First, the high potential may feel resent-
ment that their extraordinary work re-
ceives less attention because they create
fewer problems or issues for their supervi-
sors. This can also lead to feelings of be-
ing under- or unappreciated, as they may
feel that their supervisors have a different
set of expectations and standards for them
than is used for the rest of the team.
2
Do your high potential
employees receive sufficient
professional development?
There may also be an embedded assump-
tion that since HiPos are already perform-
ing at a high level, they do not need any
further development. This could not be
further from the truth. By their very na-
ture, HiPos tend to thrive under conditions
in which they can maximize their talents
and test their limits. Investing time in
these types of conversations can be a key
aspect of maximizing the engagement of
HiPos.
Not surprisingly, HiPos also bring high