Human Resources: Companies Grooming High-Potentials For Leadership

BOSTON – October 6, 2009 – High-potential employees are increasingly being groomed as leaders of the future and are receiving coaching, training, and other management development earlier in their careers to prepare them for leadership roles, according to a survey by ClearRock, an outplacement and executive coaching firm headquartered in Boston.

Employers are most often helping high-potential employees improve their leadership, strategic thinking, communications, management, and team-building skills, according to the survey of more than 100 organizations with operations throughout the U.S. by ClearRock (www.clearrock.com <http://www.clearrock.com/> ).

“Companies are more frequently assessing high-potential employees to determine which ones have the qualities they desire in senior-level managers, and then – earlier in their careers – providing them with the necessary coaching, training, and managerial experiences to fully grow them into upper management,” said
Annie Stevens, managing partner for ClearRock.

According to the survey, the top ways organizations are building the skills of high-potential employees are:
In-house training and education, selected by 73% of respondents
Assigning them to project teams (64%)
Outside training and education (61%)
In-house coaching (56%)
Mentoring (56%)
Providing outside coaching (41%)

The skills that employers most want high-potential employees to develop are:
Leadership (71%)
Strategic thinking (71%)
Communication skills (62%)
Managing others (54%)
Building teamwork (53%)
Engaging others (48%)
Motivating people (44%)
Interpersonal skills (34%)
Decisiveness (34%)
Vision (33%)
Managing their own expectations (31%)
Creativity (27%)

“More employers today want to make sure that high-potential employees’ management skills progress steadily along with their job-related knowledge and expertise,” said Greg Gostanian, managing partner for ClearRock.

“Developing high-potential employees at earlier points in their careers benefits organizations by enabling them to make determinations sooner about which ones have the necessary skills and abilities for upper management. Companies can get a better idea regarding which employees will be best able to make the transition from managers to leaders, which ones will need help in improving these talents, and which ones may be unable to progress further,” added Gostanian.

Mentors are an important component of developing high-potential employees because they enable future leaders to learn how leadership, strategic thinking, communications, management and team-building skills are used in practice. “Mentors show how these skills are employed to create policies, procedures, and make decisions, and then explain the thinking behind them,” said Stevens.

“Providing coaching to high-potential employees using in-house personnel and outside consultants helps ensure that their leadership and management development stays on track and that they are continually progressing. It also signals that organizations are committed to their development and their contributions are valued,” said Gostanian.

Employers are also assembling teams of high-potential employees and giving them visible problems for which to develop solutions. “This builds teamwork and strategic thinking skills, as well as develops new approaches to some chronic problems. Project teams help high-potential employees build leadership qualities and think strategically. Employers are more frequently developing these senior executive-level qualities in high-potentials and fast-tracking their careers,” said Stevens.

About ClearRock
ClearRock is an executive coaching and outplacement firm that is recognized for genuinely caring about the people we work with. When a company brings us onboard, you can be certain it is because they feel the same way. That is why it is no surprise that we consistently find ourselves in the employ of companies rated among the “Best Places to Work” in Boston by the Boston Business Journal.

What truly sets ClearRock apart is our customized approach. Factoring in everything from career goals to client and coach compatibility, we tailor action plans for every company and employee we work with. For more information, please visit our website at www.clearrock.com <http://www.clearrock.com/> .