OCTOBER 2023HR TECH OUTLOOK8In My OpinionAs industries and markets gain increasing complexity and fluidity, identifying and nurturing high-potential talent ­ or HiPo - remains a top priority for senior executives and their organizations amidst struggles to sustain competitive posture and drive growth. High-potentials are select employees, often in critical leadership roles, within an organization who embody the skills, capabilities, and attributes to excel in more senior roles in the future. Properly developed and deployed, these individuals possess the potential to have a disproportionate impact on the organization's performance and success relative to their peers and are regarded as valuable strategic assets essential for long-term growth. Among the most valued skills, critical thinking is crucial for high-potentials as it equips them with the skills needed for navigating complexity, decision-making, and complex problem-solving to drive innovation. This article discusses the importance of critical thinking for high-potential success and uses the Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal (WGCTA) as a talent assessment and differentiator. Additionally, strategies to develop employees' critical-thinking skills are offered. What is critical thinking? Critical thinking is a collective ability to objectively analyze and evaluate information, ideas, and situations to make well-informed decisions. In a leadership role, critical thinking plays a vital role in solving complex problems, understanding the needs of the organization and its stakeholders, and guiding teams toward success. Leaders who continuously strengthen their critical-thinking abilities position themselves and their teams for greater performance and outcomes. The most widely known and utilized measure of critical thinking is the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal (WGCTA), a popular psychometric assessment tool designed to measure an individual's critical-thinking ability. It consists of a series of multiple-choice questions that assess distinct aspects of critical thinking, such as deductive reasoning, logical interpretation, recognizing assumptions, drawing conclusions, and evaluating arguments. People who score high on the Watson Glaser are likely to be more intellectually resourceful, approach problem-solving from a logical and rational perspective, and see connections between disparate data sets. At a previous employer, our talent management team conducted an analysis of the psychological factors that differentiated high potentials from high contributor employees within the organization. The analysis consisted of 12 high-potentials and 37 high-contributor employees who completed a battery of psychological tests for leadership effectiveness, personality, and critical thinking. On the WGCTA, the high-potential group scored in the 90th Chris Forando, Sr. Director, Organizational Effectiveness, Talent, and Leader Development, Subway Camera searchByHIGH POTENTIAL TALENT: USING CRITICAL THINKING AS A TALENT DIFFERENTIATORChris Forando
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