High Potential

by Adrian Furnham, Adrian Furnham

Nurturing future talent in the workplace – choosing the right people, developing the good into the best and keeping hold of the brightest – is essential for a successful business.

This research-led yet accessible book offers a practical guide to:

Clearly understanding and defining potential
High flying personality traits to look out for and biographical markers of potential
Selecting positive high potential traits and weeding out negative traits like manipulation, superficial charm or narcissism
The best assessment and management methods
Managing high potential employees and developing their careers
Understanding why people choose to leave or stay at a company
Looking at potential in context; what it means to small vs large businesses, or the public and private sector.

High Potential provides a practical framework for showing managers how to create a strong strategic vision for a high performing, high potential workforce; a real competitive business advantage.

Genres: Business

Hardcover

First published December 31, 1899

About the author

Adrian Furnham (born 3 February 1953) is a South African-born British organisational and applied psychologist, management expert and Professor of Psychology at University College London. In addition to his academic roles, he is a consultant on organizations.

Furnham was educated at the London School of Economics where he obtained a distinction in an MSc Econ., and at Oxford University where he completed a doctorate (D.Phil) in 1981. He has subsequently earned a D.Sc (1991) and D.Litt (1995) degree. Previously a lecturer in Psychology at Pembroke College, Oxford, he has been Professor of Psychology at University College London since 1992. He has lectured widely abroad and held scholarships and visiting professorships at, amongst others, the University of New South Wales, the University of the West Indies, the University of Hong Kong and the University of KwaZulu-Natal. He has also been a Visiting Professor of Management at Henley Management College. He has recently been made Adjunct Professor of Management at the Norwegian School of Management (2009).

Adrian FurnhamHe has written over 700 scientific papers and 57 books including The Protestant Work Ethic (1990) Culture Shock (1994), The New Economic Mind (1995), Personality at Work (1994), The Myths of Management (1996), The Psychology of Behaviour at Work (1997), The Psychology of Money (1998), The Psychology of Culture Shock (2001)The Incompetent Manager (2003), The Dark Side of Behaviour at Work (2004), The People Business (2005) Personality and Intellectual Competence (2005) Management Mumbo-Jumbo (2006) Head and Heart Management (2007) The Psychology of Physical Attraction (2007) The Body Beautiful (2007) Personality and Intelligence at Work (2008) Management Intelligence (2008) Dim Sum Management (2008) The Economic Socialisation of Children (2008) 50 Psychology Ideas you really need to know (2009) The Elephant in the Boardroom: The Psychology of Leadership Derailment (2009).

Reviews

[Jeremy Macey · Rating 1 out of 5]

My high hopes for this book were dashed. I am a trustee of an organisation that has recently employed someone and I wanted to get some expert advice on How the Experts Do It. This book is more discursive and short on practical advice. There is a lot of emphasis on intelligence and personality testing (which a glance at the author bios will explain). Also a full 40 pages on the 'dark side/derailment' which was a blind alley for me since our employee is not (yet) exhibiting derailment tendencies. Overall it feels all over the place, perhaps a reflection of the three authors' different subject areas.
Apart from the loose structure, the book is badly produced with howlers such as Noam Chompsky, Marquis Du Sade and Geofferey Howe, not to mention malapropisms ("Sindona severed on company boards") and sloppy copy editing ("This type of role is not about the coach listening, it's about speak.").
I struggled my way through the extensive platitudes and found my way to my favourite piece of advice, "Have lunch with the candidate and they'll open up".

[Isabel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Si se busca un libro práctico para detectar y gestionar talento de alto potencial, este no lo es. Aunque ofrece una base teórica sólida, el contenido se dispersa en psicología general, alejándose del enfoque prometido por el título.

Más que una guía útil para líderes y gestores, es un tratado de psicología de la personalidad, con poca aplicabilidad práctica y sin herramientas claras para la gestión real del talento. Apenas un 5% del libro trata de talento de alto potencial.

[Brandon Langlois · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well researched and insightful look into identifying and developing high potential people. I appreciated the blend of scientific analysis and pragmatic advice the book presents.

[Starduster]

$61.53