High-Potential Employee (HiPo)

Definition

An employee identified as having the potential for advancement to senior leadership—basically the golden child who gets better projects and more attention.

Example Usage

Sarah was identified as a HiPo in the succession planning process and immediately got mentorship from the VP.

Origin

Identified and formalized in research by McKinsey and other consulting firms in 1990s-2000s

Fun Fact

Overidentifying HiPos and over-investing in their development can increase turnover of other capable employees

Source: Talent Management Strategy

Related Terms

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stretch assignment

A challenging project or role slightly beyond an employee's current capabilities, designed to accelerate development. Corporate speak for 'we need this done but don't want to hire someone qualified.'

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nine-box grid

A talent assessment tool that plots employees on performance versus potential, creating nine categories from 'star' to 'why are they still here?' It's how companies decide who gets promoted and who gets managed out, all on a tidy 3x3 grid.

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pay transparency

The practice of openly sharing salary ranges, compensation formulas, or actual employee pay—radical honesty that supposedly reduces wage gaps but makes everyone uncomfortable at company parties.

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Learning Opportunity

Corporate euphemism for a mistake, failure, or catastrophe that nobody wants to take responsibility for. When your manager says "this is a learning opportunity," what they mean is "someone messed up badly but we're going to frame it positively in the incident report."

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non-exempt

Employees entitled to overtime pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act, typically hourly workers. The classification that means you actually get paid for working extra hours, unlike your salaried colleagues.

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Performance Appraisal

An annual or semi-annual evaluation where managers document what they forgot about your work since last review, often contradicting the praise they gave in real-time.

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