We all want to reach towards the stars and our unlimited potential. We all want to get the most out of ourselves. There are lot of self-help books which promise a lot but there are a few which are data driven and immediately practical. One of the books I liked on the subject is The High Potential’s Advantage by Jay Conger and Allan Church.

Here are the five factors:

1. Situation sensing

This is the absolute clarity to understand your boss’s priorities. Once you know what your boss wants you can then align your daily activities to the larger cause. The bottom line is it pays to ensure you and your boss are singing of the same hymn book.

2. Talent accelerating

This is all about leadership. The ability to identify the skills of a talented team member is one of the keys to be an outstanding leadership. Become an extraordinary talent scouter.

3. Career piloting

This is all about ensuring your career reflects your priorities. It is about getting the right projects and executing them flawlessly. Take up the assignments which make you more visible.

4. Complexity translating

With the advent of Big data, IoT, AI and so much more we need to develop the ability to move to simplicity while operating from complexity. The leader’s job is to ensure the complex is translated into something everyone can understand.

5. Catalytic learning

This is an absolute must to thrive in the 21st century where all bets are off. Identify the experts in your field, connect with them, read their blogs, listen to their podcasts, read their books, listen to Ted talks, and document what you learn. Share what you learn to help others as well. Learning also can increase longevity.

There you have it the five factors that can help you move towards becoming a high potential.

The views expressed here are my own and do not represent my organization.