:

Gifted & Talented in the Workplace =

“High Potential --or-- High Performer

Topics Compare & Contrast: G&T with High

Potential A Closer Look at Learning Agility Other Key Concepts: Competencies,

Career Stallers & Stoppers Development: The Whole Picture

Objectives

1. Offer a perspective you may have not known before for possible insights for education of G&T

2. Confirm the many aspects of over-lap of gifted and high potential

3. Contrast the high performer- expert as gifted but NOT high potential—yet valuable insights for them also

4. Long range goal of education: enable you to discover your abilities and maximize them (right?)

G&T : High Potential

130+ and/or achievement, rate of acquisition/ retention, demonstrated achievement, early skill development, allowing for intervening factors masking giftedness (Pa. criteria)

Demonstrating the ability to learn from experience, and subsequently apply that learning to perform successfully under new or first time conditions (aka: learning agility)

Other Views of LA

Resilience, Adaptability when needed (vs. staunch, heels dug in behavior)

Willingness to relinquish behavior that

used to work, but recognizing when it’s not producing optimal outcomes--- therefore NEW skills are needed

Examples: many ways to de-escalate conflict; motivation differs among individuals, ….

Quick Exercise

List 3 (titles) of the most memorable experiences you’ve had– that account in part for who you are today

Now identify what you learned from each one– what you internalized and was now a part of you

2-3 Examples?!?

Closer Look at Learning Agility MENTAL Agility: excellent critical thinkers who are

comfortable with complexity & ambiguity. Examine problems carefully, make fresh connections. CAN clearly explain their logic to another

PEOPLE Agility: know themselves very well and can readily deal with a wide variety of people and tough situations; cool and resilient under pressure

CHANGE Agility: Curious, like to experiment, and can effectively deal with the discomfort of change. Have a passion for ideas and are highly interested in continually improving things

RESULTS Agility: Deliver results in first time situations by inspiring teams plus having significant ‘presence’. Exhibit the sort of presence that builds confidence in themselves and others

Even Closer Look

Mental

People

Change

Results

MENTAL Curious Gets to root causes Comfortable with

Ambiguity Finds parallels &

contrasts easily Questions Conventional

Wisdom Finds solution to tough

problem Reads broadly & has wide

interests

PEOPLE Open-minded & tolerant Self Aware Comfortable with diversity &

diverse opinions Can play many roles

simultaneously Understands others Relishes helping others

succeed Politically agile Deals with conflict

constructively Skilled communicator

CHANGE

Loves tinkering & trying new things

Easily accepts challenges

Accepts responsibility & accountability

Introduces new slants on old ideas

RESULTS

Builds high performance teams

Can pull off things against all odds

Has tremendous drive to accomplish tasks

Very flexible & adaptable

Has significant personal presence

SIMILIARITIES

MENTAL Curious Gets to root causes Comfortable with

Ambiguity Finds parallels &

contrasts easily Questions Conventional

Wisdom Finds solution to tough

problem Reads broadly & has wide

interests

PEOPLE Open-minded & tolerant Self Aware Comfortable with diversity &

diverse opinions Can play many roles

simultaneously Understands others Relishes helping others

succeed Politically agile Deals with conflict

constructively Skilled communicator

CHANGE

Loves tinkering & trying new things

Easily accepts challenges

Accepts responsibility & accountability

Introduces new slants on old ideas

RESULTS

Builds high performance teams

Can pull off things against all odds

Has tremendous drive to accomplish tasks

Very flexible & adaptable

Has significant personal presence

DIFFERERNCES

Differences

Deep expertise in one discipline is considered high performance; in contrast to high potential encompassing systemic & multiple disciplines’ impact on an optimal outcome

Contrasting LearnersTRADITIONAL LEARNERS High intellect High Grades, class rank… Scores well on tests (SAT,

ACT, GRE…) High technical KSA High verbal & analytic

skills Linear problem solver–

gets THE right answer Practice yields greater

expertise

ACTIVE LEARNERS Street smarts (re: people) High initiative &

motivation High conceptual

complexity Very broad thinker Highly curious– why, how High self awareness;

knows strengths & limitations; resourceful about limitations

High-Potential Management SurveyCorporate Leadership Council, 2005

High Potentials are Mostly High Performers

93%

7%

Low PerfHi Perf

% of high potentials that are not high performers

% of high potentials that are high performers

High Performers are not always High Potentials

71%

29%

HiPo'sNot HiPo's

High-Potential Management SurveyCorporate Leadership Council, 2005

% of high performers that are high potentials

% of high performers that are not high potentials

The New SATs Robert Sternberg, while President of the APA,

collaborated with ____ to test application of the predictability of “practical intelligence”

Sufficient results occurred that the additional critical reasoning test section was added to the traditional Verbal & Math measures

Change is difficult for human beings and I’m not sure if the criticism has abated yet…. (Selective score reporting; some schools not requiring it, etc)

GREs Have PPI EvaluationPPI = Personal Potential Index

I. Knowledge & CreativityII. Communication SkillsIII. TeamworkIV. ResilienceV. Planning & OrganizationVI. Ethics & Integrity

Other Key Concepts: Competencies Learning Agility is the Means; the results

aimed at are increasing the development of Competencies

All Competencies are not created equally…

(see handout) mmm

Where Do Comps Come From? Extensive research since the 80’s verifies

which competencies can be learned from ‘significant experiences’

Evidence of competencies can be spotted as early as junior high & of course senior high & college

See original discovery diagram; it has only increased in sources of experiences per competencies

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CCL Original Findings on Experiences That Develop Adults

Copyright Center for Creative Leadership, 1986 All Rights Reserved

NOTE: % = Frequency , not Importance

Start-up/ Scratch andFix-it/ Turnaround are the most Powerful

Learning Agility You are either consciously Adding, Refining or

Discarding previous behavior via Learning Agility

Or you are having lesson-rich experiences and NOT Adding/Refining/Discarding skills (under-developed LA)

Learning Agility happens within the brain’s executive function– or not

Think Darwinian Adaptation for survival of the

species as one example

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Blended 70/20/10… is most powerful A more challenging job

These set the developmental challenge. Real-life important job demands trigger the motivation to learn, and provide the experience.

70%A developmental task while in current job

Role models, coaches, mentors These fuel continuous improvement.

Without frequent repeated feedback, coaching and consequences, change doesn’t take place.

20%Feedback and

Consequences

Courses and readings These provide the raw material of learning to do something different. Without some new “to-dos”, nothing meaningful can occur. Key resources!

10%Personal Learning

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DEVELOPMENT: The Whole Picture

Other Key Concepts: Stallers & Stoppers Insensitivity to Others Blocked Learner Perception of being Arrogant Not Trusted (failing to follow through on

promises, betraying trust) Have them study biographies, film, historical

events, etc for these “unintended consequences”

Identify the gap between what I/ Others intend & what the perceived impact is – to others perception is reality

Development Treatment S&S

INNOCULATION…

1. Learn to identify the unsuccessful behaviors in self & others

2. Willingness to self-edit3. Willingness to learn constructive feedback to

others4. Create a vigilance to self monitor & be aware

of intention vs impact (& asking for feedback)

Worthy of Transplant?

1. ? Increase LA with ‘experts’ ?

2. ? Increase People Agility with all ?

3. ? Integrate principles of development with Bloom levels to make mastery clearer ?

4. ? Identify a few competencies involved in enrichment/ immersions/ academic games, etc ?

5. ? Spot-light awareness of toughest competency development with secondary students ?

Increase LA With ‘Experts’ A natural evolution with Mental Agility

occurs, but… Spotlight the balancing additives of People

agility, Change agility & Results (through influencing others)

Develop self reflection protocols to parallel the ‘automatic’ mach 4 cognitive mechanisms

Reinforce sharing tacit knowledge with each other to make the learning from experience more conscious

Increase People Agility with All Give Self Management it’s due importance

and incorporate emotional intelligence as both a cognitively learned ‘discipline’

And, as an arena for skill building: Play many roles; relish paradox for the flexibility Help others succeed Deal with conflict constructively Ask & give feedback; take it as data; monitor

Intention/Impact Identify biases as impediments to Understanding

Those Different )From Me/Us)

Integrate Principles of Development with Bloom Early Strengths 70-20-10 Blind Spots ~ Feedback Tough Challenges are

Developmental Opportunities in Disguise (VADI)

Make better & better mistakes

Identify Competencies Involved w/ Enrichment, Immersions, Academic Games….

Beyond critical thinking & creative thinking, identify opportunities for practicing: Dealing with Ambiguity Learning on the Fly Perspective Conflict Management Dealing with Paradox Listening (with your 3rd ear) Personal Learning Sizing Up People (for ‘gifts differing’, for

successful roles, etc)

Begin Tough Competency Development

Dealing with Ambiguity is the kingpin Understanding Others Political Savvy (for effective &

respectful Negotiation) Beyond own Creativity, reinforce

practice of Innovation Management Conflict Management/ Composure,

etc can aid in taming (Daniel Goldberg’s ‘hijacking of the amygdala’)

Compared & Contrasted: G&T with High Potential

Took Closer Look at Learning Agility Reviewed Other Key Concepts: Competencies &

Results Pondered Development: The Whole Picture

SUMMARY