Identifying Future Leaders in 2026 | Why Potential is No Longer Enough

High-potential has long been our colloquialism in shortening future leadership material. Ambitious, capable, engaged, they check off the boxes and appear headed to the corner office.

But just the label is losing its predictive power.

"High-potential" is being questioned throughout leadership circles where being more adaptable, judgmental, and rapidly learning is getting much more of the spotlight. Trying to find tomorrow's leaders using the playbook that you used yesterday, you are positioning yourself with a costly miss.