And Why Good Intentions Aren’t Enough
Let’s be honest, coaching high potentials should feel like fueling a launch, not ticking a box. But far too often, it ends up being neither.
You’ve got a sharp performer. Bright. Curious. Ambitious. Leadership potential? Absolutely. So you put them on the fast track. Maybe assign a coach. Maybe give them a seat at the big table. The label sticks: “High-Potential.”
And then… what?
Here’s the thing: most organisations mean well. They really do. But somewhere between the enthusiasm and execution, coaching for high potentials becomes generic, mechanical, or just, let’s say it, misguided.
Let’s unpack why.
1. The “One-Size-Fits-All” Trap
High potential ≠ high performer. And neither should be treated like a standard-issue corporate product.
But still, we see the same approach repeated:
- Plug them into the same leadership modules.
- Assign the same coach from the same pool.
- Run them through the same competency matrix.
It’s like giving every athlete the same training plan, regardless of whether they’re a sprinter, a swimmer, or a chess prodigy.
Strengths-based leadership flips that script. It says: stop fixing people. Start building on what’s already strong. That doesn’t mean ignoring gaps, it just means not coaching everyone into the same leadership costume.
2. Coaching That’s Too Polished, and Not Personal Enough
You know the drill. A six-month program. Monthly sessions. A lovely slide deck with SMART goals. It all looks good on paper.
But here’s a question most leaders forget to ask:
Does the coaching conversation actually feel real to the High-Potential Employee?
Too often, it’s all theory and frameworks, no raw honesty, no space to sit with discomfort. And certainly no room to say, “I don’t think I want to lead that way.”
Effective coaching doesn’t just stretch skills. It confronts identity.
The best coaches don’t just polish, they provoke.
3. Confusing Speed with Growth
A classic mistake: assuming the faster someone moves, the more potential they have.
So we keep accelerating them, more visibility, bigger mandates, earlier promotions. It looks impressive from the outside. But inside?
They’re scrambling. Overwhelmed. Sometimes quietly burned out.
High potential doesn’t always mean high readiness. There’s a rhythm to growth. A good coaching process helps people pace that rhythm with intention, not rush to keep up with expectations they never set.
Because if coaching feels like pressure with a smile, it’s not coaching. It’s corporate speed-dating.
4. Coaching for Roles, Not for Identity
Here’s the subtle trap: coaching people into roles they’ve been earmarked for, rather than helping them explore who they actually are as a leader.
You hear it in phrases like:
- “Let’s get you ready for the next level.”
- “You’ll need to start acting like a Director now.”
- “This is how leaders at your level operate.”
Useful? Sometimes. But dangerous if it turns coaching into conformity training.
Real potential doesn’t bloom through imitation. It blooms through self-awareness.
Coaching should help people meet themselves, not just a future job description.
5. Ignoring the Context Around the Talent
You can coach a high-potential talent all you want, but if their manager is threatened, if the culture punishes stretch attempts, or if there’s no space for experimentation, it won’t stick.
Coaching doesn’t happen in a vacuum.
If your high-potential employee has to mask who they are to get through a meeting, no amount of leadership theory will make them flourish.
If feedback only flows upwards, they’ll second-guess every risk.
If recognition only shows up during performance review season, they’ll drift.
Coaching needs scaffolding. Support systems. Safety nets. And the occasional honest conversation with their manager too.
6. Labelling Too Early, and Then Freezing That Label
Sometimes the label “High-Potential Talent” becomes a brand. Other times, a burden.
You see this especially when early bloomers are fast-tracked, and then… stopped. No more coaching. No more stretch. “They’re solid now.” Checked the box.
But people evolve. Ambitions change. Life happens.
A strong coaching culture keeps listening, even after the program ends. Because the real risk isn’t that you’ll stop developing your high-potential employees. It’s that you’ll stop noticing when they need something different.
What Great Coaching Actually Looks Like
It’s not rocket science. But it does require something rare: attention.
Here’s what consistently powerful high-potential coaching tends to include:
- Less focus on fixing weaknesses, more on refining strengths.
- Space to say what feels hard, unclear, or misaligned.
- Questions that get under the surface, not just up the ladder.
- An ongoing feedback loop, not a one-time “launch and forget.”
It also includes the humility to ask:
“Are we coaching this person into their full potential, or into our version of it?”
One Last Thought
High potentials aren’t clay to be shaped. They’re more like fire, already burning. Coaching them isn’t about lighting the spark. It’s about helping them burn in the right direction, without burning out.
Because the real win isn’t promoting them faster.
