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Assessing employee potential<\/strong> is one of the most important processes a manager can master. Before sending someone to a course or training session, you need to know whether that person has the skills and mindset necessary to grow\u2014otherwise, the investment in development risks going in the wrong direction. The stakes are high: according to Gallup research<\/a>, companies select the candidate with the right talent for the role in only about 18% of cases\u2014meaning they get it wrong in the remaining 82%, especially for leadership positions. This article offers four concrete guidelines to help you identify the right people on your team, starting with a story you\u2019ll recognize. <\/p>\n Two teams made up of managers from the same company competed in a rowing race to see which was more efficient. The \u201cgreen\u201d team consisted of logistics managers, while the \u201cred\u201d team consisted of research managers. Both teams invested in equipment and trained intensively, but the logistics team won. <\/p>\n Demoralized, the \u201cred\u201d team formed an investigative committee. The conclusion: the logistics team had 7 rowers and only one coxswain to steer the boat, while the research team had 7 coxswains and only one rower. The advice they received was to reorganize the roles\u2014so the following year, the \u201cred\u201d team set out with four executive coxswains, three assistant coxswains, and, once again, just one rower. He was given performance bonuses, coaching, and personalized pens: \u201cWe need to give him more confidence,\u201d the managers said. The result? Logistics won again, by an even wider margin. Humiliated, the \u201cred\u201d team fired the rower for poor performance and stopped investing in a better canoe. <\/p>\n The story is intentionally taken to the extreme. Its message: without assessing employees\u2019 potential, even the best intentions to develop people can produce exactly the opposite result. It doesn\u2019t matter how much you invest if you don\u2019t know where to put the money\u2014you\u2019ll end up rewarding the rower instead of asking why the rest of the team isn\u2019t rowing at all. <\/p>\n Before you invest in someone\u2019s development, the question isn\u2019t \u201cHow much should I give?\u201d but \u201cWho can truly grow, and in what direction?\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n How many times have you sent people to a training session without seeing any results afterward? Most of the time, the problem isn\u2019t the course itself, but the mindset with which a person approaches it\u2014you can\u2019t build something new on the basis of a closed mindset. This is where the assessment of employee potential begins: not just in terms of technical skills, but in how a person responds to challenges and new information. <\/p>\n There is a clear difference between someone who says, \u201cI don\u2019t know, but I want to find out,\u201d and someone who says, \u201cI\u2019ve learned enough.\u201d Research by Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck on the growth mindset<\/a> shows that people who believe their abilities can be developed through effort and feedback achieve better results in challenging environments than those with a fixed mindset. A good evaluation includes precisely this indicator: openness to learning, which often either undermines or supports everything else. <\/p>\n The logistics managers in the story applied a simple principle: the right person in the right place, clear roles, and a commitment to results\u2014without a cumbersome hierarchy or bonuses \u201cthrown to the wind.\u201d Employee potential assessment is the tool that makes this match possible, looking beyond resumes and years of experience. <\/p>\n Based on our experience\u2014having organized over 100 assessment centers\u2014we\u2019ve noticed that experience alone is no longer such a relevant criterion today; what really matters is growth potential. Focus training on people who have potential and are eager to learn, rather than pouring resources into those who set limits for themselves. Some employees, no matter how many opportunities they\u2019re given, remain stagnant\u2014not because they\u2019re incapable, but because they don\u2019t want to step outside their comfort zone. Assessing employee potential highlights this difference without judgment and without wasting resources. Smart investments in people aren\u2019t based on seniority or personal preference, but on data about who can grow and under what conditions. <\/p>\n As managers, we often see our team only in a positive light and overlook the risks. An evaluation isn\u2019t complete if it focuses only on strengths and ignores areas of vulnerability. Understand each person\u2019s areas of risk and what they still need to improve\u2014often, true potential lies precisely in how well these areas can be managed. This is precisely the argument behind the Gallup figure: if the wrong choice is made in 82% of cases, a manager\u2019s intuition is not enough, and a rigorous assessment of potential becomes a necessary tool. <\/p>\n When you identify a risk area, don\u2019t use it as grounds for immediate termination, but rather as a starting point for a personalized development plan that addresses weaknesses and builds on strengths. Involve the employee in the process\u2014otherwise, they\u2019ll think you\u2019re preparing to let them go. Employee potential assessment is not a tool for exclusion, but rather one for guidance, and it yields the best results within the context of effective team management<\/a>. <\/p>\n Sometimes we are so deeply immersed in our own reality that we no longer see what\u2019s right under our noses. An outside expert brings a perspective that an internal manager can\u2019t always provide\u2014not because the manager is less competent, but because emotional involvement and closeness to the team can cloud judgment. Set aside the pride that drives us to think, \u201cI have to find the solutions myself\u201d or \u201cif I ask, people will find out I don\u2019t know\u201d: the speed at which new information emerges no longer allows anyone to be an expert on everything. <\/p>\n When you work with a specialist in personality and skills assessment<\/a>, you don\u2019t just receive data\u2014you also get a framework for interpretation: you know what to do with the information and how to communicate the results to your team without causing anxiety. And assessing employee potential isn\u2019t a one-time event\u2014it\u2019s an ongoing process that\u2019s revisited as the team grows and goals change. By investing in this process, you\u2019re not just buying a report\u2014you\u2019re gaining clarity on where to direct the company\u2019s energy and resources\u2014exactly what the \u201cred\u201d team in the story was missing. Do you want to accurately assess the potential of the people on your team before investing in their development? Request a psychological profiling audit<\/a> with Psihoselect. <\/p>\n Performance evaluations measure what someone has accomplished in the past. Employee potential assessments estimate how much and in what direction a person can grow from here on out\u2014in terms of skills, growth mindset, and areas of risk. This is the step that should precede any investment in training. <\/p>\n Because a person with a fixed mindset resists change even after the best training, while someone with a growth mindset applies what they learn. Carol Dweck\u2019s research shows that openness to learning predicts performance in demanding environments better than years of experience. <\/p>\n It\u2019s not mandatory, but it helps. An outside expert brings objectivity to situations where a manager\u2019s proximity and emotional involvement might cloud judgment, along with a framework for interpreting data that translates it into concrete development plans. <\/p>\n Treat it as a starting point for a development plan, not as grounds for termination. Involve the employee in the process, build on their strengths, and work to improve their weaknesses. True potential often lies in how many risk areas can be managed effectively.Table of Contents<\/h5>\n
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A Story About Leadership and Investment<\/h2>\n
Focus on your mindset, not just on the activity<\/h2>\n
Invest in people with potential who are eager to learn<\/h2>\n
Look for areas of risk as well, not just talent<\/h2>\n
Add an external sensor<\/h2>\n
Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n
What is employee potential assessment, and how does it differ from a performance evaluation?<\/h5>\n
Why is mindset more important than experience?<\/h5>\n
Do I need to hire an external evaluator?<\/h5>\n
What should I do if I identify a risk area involving an employee?<\/h5>\n
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