Welcome to this week’s blog that considers the working world,

what we do, and what it takes to work with purpose, lead with impact, and engage with people in a way that really makes a difference. In our ‘Work Unplugged’ podcast last week, Amrit’s reflections took him down memory lane, looking back on his own career and seeing all the opportunities he had to spread his wings, stretch out a bit, and consider what else he might enjoy and be good at, despite him having to find those opportunities himself.  He called this podcast ‘Potentialising People’ which he knows, as do I, is not a word that exists! However, it does capture the topic perfectly. It might stick!

So, potentialising people! Not the wishy-washy kind you hear in annual reviews “you’ve got potential” said with a nod and then never mentioned again. I mean real, actual potential, the kind that transforms careers, drives innovation, and makes people feel like they’re actually doing something worthwhile at work. For Amrit, he knew his own potential and moved around enough to try different things, potentialising himself as he went! However, in our working world’s most people are sitting on untapped potential, and most organisations are none the wiser.

In fact, many are actively missing it, boxed in by job descriptions, nine-box grids, limited by hierarchy, and totally unaware of what their people could be capable of. If only they had the chance to show it! We have met so many people in roles that don’t come close to letting them shine. Not because they are not talented. Not because they lack drive. But because they haven’t been given the right environment, the fertile ground, where that potential can grow.

We hear about talent and succession planning, and those good old nine-box grids get wheeled out to help figure out who’s a high performer with high potential. But let’s be honest, it is all a bit finger-in-the-air! We are making future predictions based on how someone is doing a current job, in a current environment, without asking if that job even scratches the surface of what they could really be brilliant at. Potential isn’t about what someone’s doing right now, it’s about what they could do in the future.

With the right challenge, the right support, the right spark, the right conversations, what might someone be capable of? And if we keep using present-day performance as a proxy for future potential, we are going to miss a lot of diamonds in the rough.

So, what’s the answer? As you know we are coining it: potentialising. Yes, not a word (yet), but stay with me. This is about creating environments that not only spot potential but enhance it. Where people can stretch, try new things, fail safely, learn, and discover that they are capable of far more than they ever realised.

Now this might feel like a tall order, as we will have all heard our people say things like “It’s just my job,” or “Anyone could’ve done it,” when we ask people what they are proud of. People just do not seem to realise their own potential. And honestly, people look physically pained at the idea of praising themselves! We see it all the time. Imagine trying to write five bullet points of value when you can’t even name one win without apologising for it?!

That is the reality for so many people though. And if they cannot see what they’re good at, you can bet their line manager isn’t seeing it either, especially if they’re buried in admin or stuck in a narrow role that does not let them show the full range of what they can do.

So, what if we rethought this? What if we gave people real opportunities to explore other roles, other departments, other challenges? Not just the odd shadowing day or a secondment that takes months to approve, but regular, structured movement. Like mini graduate programmes for everyone. Rotations. Test runs. Role swaps.

Because here’s what graduate schemes get right, they move people around. You try things. You discover what suits you. You find your sweet spot. It’s not magic. It’s exposure.

And what if that approach wasn’t just for graduates, but part of how we manage talent more broadly within our organisations? What if we built in space for curiosity and experimentation, and stopped clinging to “but they’re good at their current role”? They might be exceptional somewhere else. But we’ll never know if we keep them only in their one (boring) lane.

Of course, it is not just on the organisation to think differently about talent. Potentialising requires courage from individuals too, to step out of the familiar, to try something new, to take the leap. But it is a lot easier to leap when someone has built the bridge, and the streams are set up for it!

This is about culture and how we see our people and our capabilities as an organisation. How agile we can be. How we see people in organisations is telling of the cultural context. Are people seen as their grade? Their job title? Their department? If so, we are boxing them in before they’ve even had a chance to surprise us. I remember being told once by someone trying so hard to progress, that they would never be allowed to grow up where they were. That those around them that held the strings would always see them as they are, and not what they could be. It hit me hard because I resonated.

We want people to come in, work hard and grow, moving to where they feel the desire and passion to go, not kill them and their talent, slowly over years, watching their spark go out. We need to get better at seeing the person, not the position. Their core skills. Their passions. The stuff they do in their spare time that might actually be wildly relevant to your next business challenge. The side hustles. The hidden talents. The lived experience that doesn’t show up on a CV.

And then, as leaders and managers, we need to create the conditions for potential to be spotted, nurtured, and stretched. Because here’s the kicker, the talent you’re desperately searching for might already be in your organisation. It’s just working on something else right now. So maybe the question isn’t: “How do we hire more great people?” Maybe it’s: “How do we unlock the greatness in the people we already have?”

And that starts with rethinking our definition of potential. It’s not static. It’s not fixed. It grows, if we let it. If we build the space for it. If we encourage it. If we stop assuming that people are only as good as the role they are currently in. Or it dies.

Now, I am lucky. I have a boss that is wholeheartedly committed to making sure that those in our organisation are doing work that makes their hearts sing, and who isn’t afraid of shaking things up, and giving people a go. He is curious enough to take notice and ask questions. I love to write, design, strategize. I am also on the road facilitating. An opportunity arose for me to take on marketing, allowing me to write and strategize loads more! We are all now seeing more about what my potential is! And I was already engaged and happy in my role, yet now I feel like I have even more fire in my belly. It feels exciting to me, and so worthwhile!

The invitation to you is next time you look around at your team, ask yourself: “What might they be brilliant at that we’ve not even seen yet?” Because if we’re not even asking, we are probably missing it.

Potentialising. Not a word, yet. But maybe it should be.

Click here to listen to the podcast episode!