'Potential'... as a human capacity, every body sounds knowledgable about it, a lot of people talk a lot about it, few actually understand it... but very very few can actually do much about it.
'Potential' is derived from Latin word 'Potentia' which means power. Effectively by logic, it therefore makes reference to some action or some person who has the Power to do something very critical for the system or to solve a crucial problem or become someone very important in the system who could be able to handle leadership challenges of the future.
The greatest problem about Potential Development hides in the leadership misbelief that Potential is all about only Potential identification. It arises from a fallacy that once identified, by itself Potential has magical powers to develop itself and self-emerge in full flurry.
If supportive developmental actions are not initiated and invested into post identification of Talent by the Managemeny, it gets wasted away. Talent is thence worst off with added frustrations then what it could possibly otherwise have been had the potential talent remained hidden and not identified.
Great Organisations adopt a strategic 7 step 'Ready me' plan to be able to effectively manage and fully develop the Potential talent and track it to its full state of fulfillment.
The 'READY-ME' Potential Leadership Development Plan has 7 steps :
1. Early 'R'ecognition of Talent
2. Systematic Potential
'E'valuation of talent depth
3. Serious 'A'ppraisal &
Stage-gate of Performance
4. Building Passion and
'D'esigning growth Paths
thru Developmental
interventions
5. Designing a 'Year on Year'
collective growth strategy
6. 'M'onitoring progress
7. 'E'xposure to Relevant
learning Experiences thru
role assignments.
It is a self-defeating dilemma.
Organisations unfortunately do not invest in developing the potential of their people on the one hand. On the other, whenever there is an open position, they prefer to recruit from outside as they never seem to find internal talent adequate within. If you find yourself trapped in such an organisation, work to show your talent Potential to Leadership. If that does not work well, the next is to test out the market alternatives.