Seabiscuit, the famous racehorse from the 1930s, didn’t start his life or his career as a winner. In her book, “Seabiscuit: An American Legend,” Laura Hillenbrand describes a horse with legs that seemed flawed so that, unlike most horses, he slept for long stretches lying down. His trainers also discovered that, though seemingly intelligent, he appeared to be lazy. As we know from the legend, though, this slow start to Seabiscuit’s life ended with years of victorious racing.
I’m reading Hillenbrand’s book now, and I’m struck not just by Seabiscuit’s underdog (or “underhorse”) status, but by the underdog status of nearly all the key players in his story—from his owner to his trainer and his jockey. None started their lives out as obvious winners.
I can’t help but think about a corporate organization with its much-vaunted “high potentials.” Recognizing employees with strong track records is the right thing to do. However, at the same time, you also may want to look at less likely “high potentials,” who, like Seabiscuit, with the right training could turn out to be your greatest winners.
Is It Time to Rethink “High Potential”?
What is a high-potential employee? How do you define that designation in your company? Too often, from what I’ve seen, high potential is conflated with “really good at kissing up to the right people, playing the office politics game, and being the loudest voice in the room.”
There could be other employees who are just as competent and reliable, but the standout employees considered worthy of advancement are those who become “yes” people, always ready to echo whatever the agreed-upon zeitgeist in the organization is, even when that zeitgeist is deeply flawed or driving the company into a rut.
For example, in this era of significant change driven by artificial intelligence (AI), I have witnessed the turning of a deaf ear to ideas for AI-powered improvements to Websites and other current-thinking ideas that would require technology upgrades and a change to the way an organization is doing business.
Instead of rewarding those who speak up to present ideas for these changes, those who are pushed forward are the ones who are echoing their boss’ hesitation to try new things. The ones who provide the echo chamber are the ones considered worthy of advancement.
It’s easy to think of an employee with disruptive ideas as being problematic or flawed, but employees who are willing to speak up and push ideas forward that others are not—even when they know they likely will receive an icy reception—are the ones who could soon give you your greatest wins.
What Does “Lazy” Mean?
Seabiscuit was misunderstood as lazy. But when he was inspired the right way, he was anything but. Many of your employees could be similar. They may be in the wrong job roles, or they may have the wrong manager.
These employees—which a manager with a much different work style may be quick to write off as lazy—could simply need the freedom to take their own approach to getting work done.
For instance, they may need a manager who understands the need for a slackened rein, so to speak, so they can work without being micromanaged. They may need to have the freedom to work according to a schedule that suits how they want to live their life. Where their task-oriented boss may constantly work, at night and on the weekends, never waiting too long to check e-mail, their employee may need uninterrupted personal time to recharge. That means they may want to put in half a day of super-charged work and then take an afternoon in the middle of the week off. Or they may ignore a boss’ e-mails and text messages that come in during their off hours.
They also may work smarter rather than harder, devising clever ways to streamline tasks. They might come up with solutions that are true solutions, minimizing rather than maximizing work tasks.
Don’t be too quick to tag a clever, individualistic employee with the “lazy” label.
A Slow Start Doesn’t Always Predict the Finish
People whose lives and careers start slowly aren’t predestined to end their careers and lives that way.
The right team around them, the right job role, the right mentors, and an organization that doesn’t quickly write them off in favor of more familiar corporate identities could turn an underperforming employee into an impressive winner.
When your managers point to an employee who appears intelligent and talented but underperforming, pay close attention. It may be a great opportunity for a Learning professional to meet one-on-one with the employee to see what changes can be made to tap into abundant potential.
How do you identify high potentials in your organization? Is your definition of “high potential” too limited?