HiPos： Developing the Next Generation of Leaders

Tian Xiaoxun， Li Ying

China Renmin University Press

September 2021

59.00 （CNY）

Tian Xiaoxun

Mr. Tian is the chairman and chief consultant of Beijing Zhiding Insight Consulting Co. and a postdoctoral psychology researcher at Beijing Normal University. Mr. Tian also holds several academic positions. He is a professor of Management Science at Renmin University of China and an external supervisor in Beijing Normal University’s Department of Psychology. Mr. Tian’s main works include Predicting the Future With the Past： Behavior-Based Interview and Discovering Your Inner Leader： A Practical Guide to Scenario-Based Assessment.

Li Ying

Ms. Li， Vice President and Senior Consultant of Beijing Zhiding Management Consulting Co.， Ltd.， has obtained the certificate of International Certified Management Consultant （CMC） and a Master’s in Human Resource Management at School of Labor and Human Resources of Renmin University of China. She focuses on competency modeling and qualification system construction and high-potential talent training. She has provided consulting and training services for many well-known enterprises such as Industrial and Commercial Bank of China， Bank of China， China Construction Bank， China Film Co.， Ltd. and NetEase.

A wise person once said this about the relationship between strategy and implementation： A strategy without proper implementation is no better than a pipe dream; an implementation without a strategy is your worst dream; but without leadership， both strategy and implementation are a fool’s dream. That statement alone underscores the importance of good leadership in almost all human endeavors. The main focus of this book is on the ability of an organization to produce future leaders and to increase its “bench strength” via the proper selection and nurturing of high-potential individuals. For growing companies as well as organizations that are undergoing a reformation， the selection and development of HiPos should be given the highest priority in any talent management process. HiPos play a key role in an organization’s current and future success， especially in the VUCA （volatility， uncertainty， complexity， and ambiguity） era， where a new generation of leaders could lead the organization towards sustainable growth.

The digital age is upon us. Up until May 16， 2021， the ten companies with the highest net worth in the world were Apple， Saudi Aramco， Microsoft， Amazon， Google， Facebook， Tencent， Berkshire Hathaway， Alibaba， and Tesla. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that seven out of the ten aforementioned companies had achieved rapid growth via the field of information technology. To put things into perspective， the market caps of Apple， Microsoft， Amazon， and Google all exceeded 1 trillion dollars in 2021， with Apple having the highest market cap of 2.18 trillion dollars. What these companies （mostly based in the United States and China） have done is the quintessence of what Reid Hoffman so aptly referred to as “blitz scaling.” While the rapid rise of these companies （and new tech startups） has changed the way people live their lives， it also marked the end of many traditional businesses. This example illustrates an important point： the key to securing the future of any organization lies in the rapid and effective development of young talents， people with new and innovative ideas.

The timely， continual， and high-quality supply of leaders is what sustains an organization’s growth. Ideally， whenever there is a vacancy for a crucial post within an organization， one of the organization’s employees must possess the ability to take over the post at short notice. This makes for a smooth and seamless leadership transition process without the reliance on external sources—the organization will not be forced to hire someone from outside of itself to fulfill its leadership needs. The newly appointed employee should not only be at least as capable as their predecessor but should also be able to bring new ideas and skillset to the table. Having said that， it is difficult， if not impossible， to determine the specific skillset required for a leadership role within an organization due to the ever-changing market conditions. This poses a challenge for talent managers since the talent management models used to develop new talents need to be constantly tailored to suit global needs. In practice， many of the top companies in China tend to focus on several aspects of talent management： a. enhancing the selection process of young talents; b. encouraging young talents to take on leadership roles; c. assembling a team of professional leaders that could meet the organization’s future needs. The establishment of a strong “l(fā)eadership pipeline” has become a necessity in this day and age， especially for organizations in dire need of capable leaders to carry the torch.