The Problem with
The HiPo Problem
High potential (HiPo) programs sound great in theory: identify your most promising employees and invest extra resources in their development. In practice, they're deeply flawed.
Studies show that 73% of companies who identify high potential employees do so primarily through a single supervisor nomination. That means your career trajectory at many organizations is determined by one person's subjective assessment — which is heavily influenced by proximity bias, affinity bias, and who's most visible in meetings.
Who Gets Left Behind
The employees most likely to be overlooked by HiPo programs are the ones organizations can least afford to lose: diverse talent, quiet performers, remote workers, and anyone whose strengths don't match the narrow definition of "leadership material" that most supervisors carry (often unconsciously).
The result: HiPo programs often reinforce existing power structures instead of identifying genuine potential. They create an insider track that rewards visibility over value.
What Smart Professionals Do Instead
Don't wait to be tapped as a "high potential." Take control of your own development.
Make your strengths visible. If decision-makers don't know what you're capable of, no program will find you. Share your work, quantify your impact, and make sure your contributions are on the record.
Build relationships beyond your direct manager. The more people who know your work, the less dependent you are on one person's assessment. Build a network of advocates across your organization.
Invest in your own development. Don't wait for your company to invest in you. Read, take courses, find mentors, build skills. The most "high potential" move you can make is showing that you drive your own growth.
Keep your external brand strong. Your LinkedIn, your industry presence, your reputation outside your company — these are career insurance. If your organization doesn't recognize your potential, make sure the market does.
Is your LinkedIn showing your full potential? Get an audit from Avery to see how recruiters and hiring managers perceive you.