Identifying talent within your organization is a crucial component of your talent management process. Employees typically fall into several major categories:

Average Citizens

These individuals are the backbone of the organization, consistently meeting or occasionally exceeding expectations. They can be relied upon to perform their jobs at an acceptable level and often make up the majority of your workforce. Keeping this group satisfied is essential for maintaining productivity.

High Performers

High performers are your standout employees who consistently go above and beyond. To identify them, consider the following questions:

• Who regularly exceeds expectations?
• Who steps up during crises?
• Who contributes innovative ideas?
• Who inspires their colleagues to excel?
• Who is missed when they are absent?
• When reflecting on the company’s values and mission, whose name comes to mind?

High Potentials

High potentials are individuals with significant leadership potential. They may shift in and out of this category throughout their careers. To identify high potentials, look for:

• Who has successfully taken on challenging assignments?
• Who emerges as a leader within the organization?
• Who actively seeks personal development through training, coaching, and feedback?
• Who takes the initiative to learn more about the company?
• Who possesses a diverse range of experiences within the organization?

Some organizations further categorize high potentials into:

• Upcoming High Potentials
• Prepared High Potentials
• Executive High Potentials

Successors

Successors are individuals earmarked to replace specific roles within the organization. Identifying and nurturing successors is vital to prevent talent gaps.

Typically, successors can be categorized into four levels:

• Prepared Successors: Ready to fill the position immediately.
• Future Successors: Expected to be ready in one to two years.
• Potential Candidates: May be ready in three to five years.
• Emergency Successors: Capable of stepping in temporarily during an emergency.

Aren’t Successors and High Potentials the Same Thing?

Not necessarily… and here is why:

Successors…	High Potentials…
o   Are often well suited for a single position	o   Have a skill set that is suited for several different positions
o   May not be interested in lateral or promotional moves	o   Want to move laterally and vertically in the organization, and have the skills and abilities to do so