Talent has 2 major components:
- Potential DNA which cannot be trained, coached, or created through experience. Potential/DNA is the raw ability that sets our limits for performance.
- Skills, Competencies and Knowledge which can be developed though training, coaching, and experience.
The underlining foundation for predicting future performance is set by our potential. It is only through effective training, coaching, and experience that potential becomes performance. Therefore, training skills and competencies and through experience, we can unlock our potential and subsequently our performance.
Even with the assistance of AI, companies run the risk of missing the big picture. AI cannot create potential but it can help identify the key components of potential. Through strategies such as 360’s and structured interviewing, we can assess current skills and competencies. Only with these insights can we then create targeted development plans to maximize potential and performance.
In any population the majority 66% falls in the average category.
Therefore, unless the Talent Acquisition (TA) prioritises potential, it will be randomly distributed in the normal population. No matter how many resources are invested in individuals with average potential, the performance will be at best average or mediocre. Our research shows that the biggest waste of resources stems from attempting to develop individuals who simply do not have the potential to perform at the highest level. We label these as Talent Traps.
If high potential = high performance If low potential = low performance
The earlier that potential can be identified, the earlier we can focus on the 17% rather than the 83%. Effective screening strategies eliminates the bottom 17% while the Selection process identifies the top 17%. With the introduction of AI and advances in technology to automate the TA process, companies have inadvertently increased the volume of average candidates which has overwhelmed recruiters and hiring managers. They have been forced to filter through the 83% rather than the 17%, leading to hiring a high number of average potential candidates. As a result, the candidates are given to trainers and coaches forcing the trainers and coaches to invest substantial resources for average to marginal returns.
The POP™ identifies SALES DNA early in the hiring process, empowering recruiters to zero in on top-quality candidates with high potential. This means hiring managers, trainers, and coaches can focus their time and energy on developing the right people—those who are built to perform. Everyone wins. Recruiters deliver quality, trainers and coaches see a higher return on their efforts, and organizations build high-performing sales teams with precision.
Our clients already excel at building skills and competencies—now they’re using the POP™ to unlock true potential. Instead of falling into the blame game of underperformance, we help create a sales culture rooted in science, driven by quality, and focused on results. That’s the power of hiring with purpose.
Check out our quick Sales DNA video that shows how the POP™ transforms the hiring process.
https://www.selfmgmt.com/ps/POPSales_Video.mp4
That’s the POP™ advantage.