Two years ago, an operator was told she wasn’t “management material.” But only six months later – new manager, new opportunity – she was leading a cross-site safety improvement project.

Her potential didn’t change. The lens did.

In chemical facilities, we monitor pressure to the decimal. We track every deviation in flow, temperature and system response. But when it comes to people — especially how we judge their potential — we’re often running on hunches, habit and hierarchy.

Editor Traci Purdum reads the column "Leadership Potential Isn’t Fixed, It’s Shaped by Who’s Looking" from Workforce Matters.