This week’s podcast is for “the people.” 

Many organizations bring me in to work with their “high potential” employees (hi-po for short); those people who are seen as the future leadership of the firm with a lot of potential. I, along with my partners, offer coaching, individually and as a group, and put together leadership programs specific to them and their company’s needs. We accomplish a lot, we get great reviews, and we are excellent at what we do. 

This week isn’t about that.

It’s about the other huge segment of people at the company who I really love to work with, and I call them “The Other Hi-Po” … or hidden potential. These are the people that don’t get the full force of the company’s support, might feel misaligned or frustrated with their organization, and float around from one organization to another without really tapping into something meaningful and engaging. 

In my corporate career, I was very much a hidden potential. 

I was very capable in my role. I was always “picked first” for new projects. I had great working relationships across the entire organization. My employees loved working for me. My problem, which I now know, was always one person: my manager. And the reason they were my problem was because of me - I was a difficult person to manage. And when you are a difficult person to manage, your manager might not be the best person to speak up for you when new leadership roles arise. 

We work crazy hours in the corporate world - many of us spend more waking hours at the office than at home. It’s impossible for work to not be a part of your identity. And when we don’t align our work with who we are as an individual, and don’t embrace our identity paired with work, we can become resentful, frustrated and begin to look elsewhere for our next focus. 

Managing a hidden potential and being a hidden potential are two sides of the same coin. What we all want at the office is recognition for our contribution. We also want power. Those two are big time drivers for people who want to get ahead, and the easy way to envision that is by managing a team. 

But recognition and power take many forms. Not everyone can be a manager, but in most of my experiences, managers generally aren’t the most powerful people in the room. Buy re-aligning your work with your identity, and bringing a recognized power to the office (as in your best self), things will change. 

From personal experience and from coaching other hidden potential people, the responsibility for your frustration and challenges at work begin and end with you. If you wait for someone else to fix it, it’s not going to happen. 

Investing in yourself, finding the power in your own identity, and showcasing that in the office will catapult you through the organization when done the right way. I’ve seen it happen. 

There is power in hidden potential. Tapping into that and discovering what’s hidden from you, your co-workers and management can light a fire in growth. 

Happy week and be productive!