Lesson 7: Identify and Develop High-Potential Employees | Adam Grant

Identify those capable of both abstract and concrete thinking. Coach people to toggle between types of thinking.

“They’re a ‘big picture’ person” or “They’re our detail person” are descriptors that serve as code for whether someone is an abstract or concrete thinker. Every team needs both to get the job done. But organizational psychologist Adam Grant proposes the highest-potential team members are those capable of both zooming out and zooming in, the ones who can dream up blue-sky product features and break down budget specifics.

In this video lesson, Grant discusses recognizing strategic problem-solvers in your ranks and how to coach others to move back and forth between abstract and concrete thinking.

Look for strategic problem solvers

High-potential employees are people who can diagnose and solve problems strategically.

Strategic thinkers are able to think abstractly: to zoom out and see the big picture. We trust them to make big decisions, like formulating vision and strategy.

But to be successful, they also need to think concretely: to zoom in and communicate in a way that motivates others.

Watch for people who can zoom out and zoom in.

Coach them to toggle their thinking

Engage abstract thinkers in mental time travel to help them make their ideas more concrete. Prompt them to imagine a future when their strategy has succeeded. The idea is to practice taking big ideas and turning them into something palatable. Ask:

What looks different?

What do you see?

How does the organization look different?

How has the industry changed?

How has the market been disrupted?

Engage concrete thinkers in pre-mortems to help them focus on the abstract. Prompt them to imagine a future when their strategy has failed. The idea is to prevent mistakes by thinking more broadly about potential threats and opportunities. Ask: What are the most likely causes of the failure?

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About Adam Grant:

Adam Grant has been Wharton’s top-rated professor for seven straight years. As an organizational psychologist, he is a leading expert on how we can find motivation and meaning, rethink assumptions, and live more generous and creative lives. He has been recognized as one of the world’s 10 most influential management thinkers and Fortune’s 40 under 40.

Grant is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of five books that have sold millions of copies and been translated into 45 languages: Think Again, Give and Take, Originals, Option B, and Power Moves. His books have been named among the year’s best by Amazon, Apple, the Financial Times, and The Wall Street Journal. His viral piece on languishing was the most-read New York Times article of 2021 and the most-saved article across all platforms.

Grant hosts WorkLife, a chart-topping TED original podcast. His speaking and consulting clients include Google, the NBA, Bridgewater, and the Gates Foundation. He writes on work and psychology for The New York Times, has served on the Defense Innovation Board at the Pentagon, has been honored as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, and has appeared on Billions. He has more than 6 million followers on social media and features new insights in GRANTED, his free monthly newsletter.