It’s one of those overused and not quite well understood phrases that sound really great and motivating, while in reality “potential” doesn’t work like that. The phrase implies there is some sort of magma-like substance inside you that is just ready to erupt like a volcano when the right buttons are pushed. 

In reality, potential is simply “the likelihood that you will make it at the next level”. That likelihood can be shown by certain behaviors that you show to people. Showing more of these behaviors, means you have more potential. Not showing these behaviors means you have lower potential. 

Which behaviors, you ask? A few examples:

“Feedback seeking”: not asking for confirmation every 5 minutes, but actively reaching out to people with concrete feedback requests about work you did, plans you have, or conversations you had, WITH the intention to learn from it! This is hard to do, as it makes you look vulnerable, and not everyone has the stomach for that. It would skyrocket your development, though!

“Seeking collaboration with a diverse set of colleagues”: not always staying close to your friends who are in your comfort zone, but actively trying to collaborate with people that are different from you and maybe hard to work with. Most people would avoid that, as it is difficult and tedious. It would eventually give you a lot of different perspectives and wisdom, though!

“Research and share”: always look around to find interesting articles, books, blog posts, webinars to stay close to the trends in the industry. And share those with your colleagues, so it can inspire them, or increase their knowledge. You might not have time for that, or maybe you are afraid to bother your colleagues, or you don’t want to be seen as a know-it-all, or afraid to share something they might disagree with…. It shows great commitment and development, though!

So, the underlying dynamics of potential are more related to basic characteristics like curiosity, courage and resilience and some more. Having more of those, will definitely allow you to show more behaviors that are indicators of potential. 

You want to identify who the “high-potentials” are in your organisation? Contact us at no-nonsense.management for an evidence-based approach!

You want to find out what your potential is?  Contact us at no-nonsense.coach for a coaching intake and learn how to show more of those high-potential behaviors!