High Potentials (HiPo) refer to employees with high growth potential. They are motivated for success, want to grow with the company, and bring value to it. In the future, these specialists can drive the company forward significantly. Therefore, it is worth investing in the training, development, and motivation of high potentials to keep them within the organization and direct their resources toward its development.

How to Identify HiPo Employees in the Team?

High potential employees can be recognized during work and even at the interview stage. It is necessary to pay attention to the following factors:

• Willingness to Go the Extra Mile. They do more than required: work overtime, take on additional and more complex tasks, and come up with useful ideas to improve business processes.
• Striving for Achievement. High potential employees strive to develop, set ambitious goals, and achieve them. They want to move up the career ladder and take on leadership positions.
• Engagement. HiPo employees are loyal to the company, share its mission and values, and delve into detailed study of its processes. They plan their career development within the organization. They care about the company's fate, so they are willing to invest their time, knowledge, and skills into it.
• Desire to Improve and Learn. They want to acquire up-to-date knowledge and learn new skills to be not just competitive specialists, but top professionals. Their resumes often show successful completion of training courses and positive reviews from previous employers, along with high grades in their diplomas.
• Flexibility. They adapt to changes faster than other employees. Moreover, these specialists often initiate positive changes within the company aimed at its development.

High potentials possess personal qualities such as determination, ambition, curiosity, and initiative. They exhibit strong leadership qualities. They are ready to take on leadership positions, organize and control the team's work, and take responsibility for decisions made.

How and Why Is It Important to Retain High Potentials in the Company?

HiPo employees are valuable to companies. According to The Bailey Group Research, HiPo productivity is 21% higher than that of other employees. Research by SHL Talent Management indicates that a high potential in a leadership position can double the company's revenue growth rate. High potential employees are willing to work for a lower salary initially. They work not only for money but also for the idea, the implementation of their proposals, and their ambitions.

The problem is that many companies, especially in post-Soviet countries, do not know how to work with HiPo employees and build productive relationships with them. They "squeeze" the maximum out of them but do not contribute to their professional development or move them up the career hierarchy. Other managers suppress these specialists' initiatives and hinder their potential.

To retain HiPo employees, the company should:

• Build trustful relationships with them and ensure professional growth. They can be delegated complex tasks and offered higher positions.
• Provide them with freedom of action so they can demonstrate their capabilities. However, it is necessary to monitor their decisions and correct them if needed. An authoritarian management style negatively affects HiPo employees.
• Pay for additional training for these specialists. By acquiring new knowledge and experience and mastering modern technologies, they will implement them in the company's work processes.
• Reward them financially, but do not forget about non-material ways of motivation.

HiPo employees are valuable assets to the organization and should be invested in.