Dive Brief:

• It's critical not only to identify high potential employees but also to engage and create loyalty in them, advises Nicole Beckerman at Everwise. She says that only around 15% of employers believe that they have enough employees available for succession planning efforts. 
• It's important to avoid alienation of less suitable employees by providing short skills courses, stretch assignments, and more visible responsibilities. Beckerman also points to mentoring programs to groom employees for future roles. 
• A joint study conducted with executive search firm Egon Zehnder International and Harvard Business Review was able to determine that around 79% of millennials "view mentoring from more seasoned employees as crucial to their career success." 

Dive Insight:

The numbers are somewhat dismal in regards to high potential employees, based on the Everwise data provided. This could be for a number of reasons, including a generational shift from the values of Baby Boomers and Generation X, to the values of millennials and Generation Z.  

But as technology continues to invade every aspect of work as we know it, these values will become increasingly important in succession planning and leadership development programs. Large and small firms can take advantage of mentoring and collaborative learning methods to transfer knowledge to high potential employees. This can support longevity and loyalty, so long as other perks are in place.