There is simply no other crime at work worse than telling someone they have no potential or talent.  Organisations strive every day to prevent people being brilliant…. just most not consciously.

So, a couple of myths to clear up. 

Firstly, talent is not borne, it is made. 

I read some guff article in the Harvard Business Review last week that "great CEOs are borne".  What a bunch of crock. I absolutely believe that early year parenting and education forms our "talent" (yes, we all have it).  Role models, hugs, encouragement, practice and above all, love, help it form.

You see we are at our most creative, logical, inspirational, empathetic and, frankly, human when we get to practice, fall and recover in a safe place. Wayne Rooney was not borne with a god given gift to play football or bed prostitutes. Both outputs were borne and reinforced by and of the environment he has been in and is still in.  Let me be clear.  Everyone has potential; the crime is most people don’t get an opportunity to let it shine.

Secondly "potential" is not fixed. Many organisations make the mistake of labelling people with "no potential". That’s bottom left of the old nine-grid-box to most.

But, they then don’t define ‘potential’ well enough. So here is the only definition of potential to use:

"Potential is the propensity for an individual to change their behaviour in the future".

 

It’s simple and measurable.

 

As an example, on a 9 box grid for a Leader in a corporate organisation, I have zero potential, which is odd because in all my corporate reviews I was viewed as high potential. It’s not odd, however, when you measure whether my propensity to change my behaviours to those required of a corporate leader in most organisations is high or not. It’s not. Ultimately it’s why I left Nortel Networks in 2001.

At Chemistry we have a big, brave intent: "To give everyone an opportunity to be brilliant at work".  Frankly when we initially came up with this – as the ultimate outcome of what we do – even I was a little embarrassed by it.  It’s not that I didn’t believe it, it’s just it sounded a bit corny and grandiose…like, "So Roger what do you do?", "Well, I help people have an opportunity to be brilliant at work".  See?  Doesn’t roll off the tongue well.

Well, I have to tell you – not only do I believe it and proudly say it – but I believe, as a mission, it’s up there with Google’s "Do no evil".  

So I urge all the corporate people out there – when you are sticking someone in the bottom left of your 9 box matrix of Potential vs. Performance – ask yourself this, if everyone has potential (and they do) in what role or department would the individual go at least top left?

And if not in your company, where else should they be?

So, what if companies formed a "potential exchange"?  So you said to your employee "Hey Roger, you can’t be brilliant here but we’ve had a chat with "x" in the potential exchange and we know you will be brilliant there"…Now, there’s an idea with potential!