We didn't expect it. After all, who has time to worry about high-potential employees these days? It takes considerable effort, patience and planning to focus on HiPos, and a lot of companies are otherwise preoccupied with the day-to-day urgency of surviving in a tough economy.
But good companies have a way of going against the conventional wisdom, and several i4cp member organizations recently came to us with ideas for pulse surveys that focused primarily on the selection and development of future leaders.
There are various reasons for this. First, in tough times, the need for effective leadership is greater than during the good times, when established organizations practically run themselves. If current leaders don't succeed in times of trouble, someone needs to be standing in the wings. Second, as many organizations conduct layoffs, they must identify and retain the people they most urgently need in order to run their businesses. And, in an era of tight budgets, management needs to know who to compensate at higher levels.
