First the managers would have one-on-one meetings with every person who worked for them and look for signs of leadership potential: intelligence, self-direction, initiative, good relationship skills, high energy, and positive attitude. We told them to find curious people who strove for performance excellence; who wanted to grow and learn and take on more responsibility; who went to school and took classes to better themselves; who were always reliable, on time, and didn’t whine when they were asked to stay late or come in early.
