5 Truths and a Lie About High-Potential Leadership Programs

• December 27, 2019

Our partners at the Cultivating Leaders Center of Excellence have completed a cross-industry global research effort to uncover the challenges of high-potential leadership programs and explore gaps in identifying, developing, and measuring leadership potential.

Based on the center’s findings, the jury is out regarding the positive business impact of many HIPO programs in place today. Data from other research organizations support this conclusion. A 2018 report from DDI found that 65% of the companies they researched have HIPO programs, but more than two-thirds of them rated their programs as “not very effective.”

In light of these findings, we think you’ll find this new research report insightful and helpful if you have or are considering creating a HIPO leadership development program. Researchers Richard Hodge and Jeannie Taylor organized their findings around 5 truths and a lie they discovered as a result of extensive interviews with talent and leadership executives in some of the most successful organizations around the world.

In summary, here’s what they found:

The 5 truths

1. Organizations with successful HIPO development programs have defined clear and consistent measurements for determining potential.
2. The success of HIPO development programs is correlated with the level of ownership and direct participation of senior leadership.
3. The most successful HIPO development programs are integrated with the business strategy, results, and culture.
4. Organizations with successful HIPO development programs have implemented processes to identify and engage talent early in their tenure with the organization.
5. The most successful HIPO development programs help people see how they show up as leaders.

You won’t want to miss their insightful and revealing conclusions, plus you’ll get a wealth of insight and best practices. Access the white paper, and we’ll also provide you with a 3-part webinar series and mini learning journey based on this exciting research.

Established under the leadership of Advantage Performance Group, the Cultivating Leaders Center of Excellence is an independent organization of researchers, developers, and practitioners who have joined together to test new ideas, develop new insights, and leverage new technologies, methods, and practices in an effort to cultivate the next generation of leaders across industries and continents. Special thanks to our participating clients who contributed to the research.