As part of my ongoing series to make business psychology models more simple and practical, I seek to address the question:
What is Potential?
In 2010 Michael Housman, a labour economist, was wrestling with a problem many of our clients continue to struggle with; what makes some workers perform better than others? And how do I identify those who will be successful over the longer-term? In effect, what does ‘potential’ look like?
Working as a Chief Analytics Officer for a firm that sells recruitment software, he had assessment data on 50,000 people who were ultimately hired for call centre positions. They looked at the data from all angles to identify what makes some people stay longer and perform better, and some leave sooner and perform poorly. But they couldn’t crack it.
That was until some bright spark decided to look at the web browsers applicants had used to complete their online assessments. And this is where it got interesting. Those who had used Internet Explorer (remember that?) or Safari performed, on average, worse than those who applied through Firefox or Chrome. It seemed that choice of web browser was a significant predictor of performance!
So, what was going on? After much head-scratching, Housman came to the conclusion that the choice of browser said something about the applicant using it. Internet Explorer and Safari are preloaded on PCs and Macs. All you have to do it turn on the computer and use what is given. Firefox and Chrome have to be installed, which means those using these browsers questioned the status quo, researched alternatives and showed the initiative to change the established order (even if only in a small way). They were curious, open to new experiences and driven to do things differently.
So, what does this say about potential?
Put simply, Potential is the attitudes, values, preferences and behaviours that effectively predict performance at the next level. And this interesting bit of number-crunching is supported by decades of research that shines a spotlight on those key attitudes, values and behaviours.
Specifically, those with potential:
Are down to earth and self-aware. They understand their own strengths and limitations, absorb new information quickly, learn from mistakes and actively seek opportunities to grow.
Don’t follow, they blaze a trail. They take the initiative, display resilience and love being at the heart of the action. They display genuine curiosity, seek out new challenges and broaden their understanding of the world.
Roll their sleeves up and get on with it. They cope well with pressure, uncertainty and change, and they challenge the world to be better.
So, if you want to know whether your people have potential, ask yourself the following:
Do they show understanding of their strengths and limitations?
Do they seize opportunities to learn and grow?
Take the initiative and push themselves outside their comfort zone?
Love change and adapt quickly to new challenges?
Want to know more? Give us a call on 07768 464680.