# Behavioural Skills and the Workplace

> A research conducted by HBR revealed that 98% of companies spend time and resources in identifying and developing high potential employees.

- Source: https://bodhih.com/behavioural-skills-and-the-workplace/
- Publisher: Bodhih Training (Bengaluru, India; since 2008)
- Last updated: 2026-10-15
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A research conducted by HBR revealed that 98% of companies spend time and resources in identifying and developing high potential employees.

Behavioural skills are the abilities that shape a person's interpersonal interactions at work, and they strongly influence who moves up in an organisation. The page cites HBR research that 98% of companies invest in identifying and developing high-potential employees. Four behaviours that help people progress are self-motivation, building rapport, empathy and discipline.

Last updated 15 Oct 2026 · Bodhih Insights team · reviewed by [Siddharthan VGJ](https://bodhih.com/siddharthan-vgj/), Founder

A research conducted by HBR revealed that 98% of companies spend time and resources in identifying and developing high potential employees. High potentials are defined as “Employees who consistently and significantly outperform their peer groups in a variety of settings and circumstances.” While achieving these superior levels of performance, they exhibit behaviors that reflect their companies’ culture and values in an exemplary manner. Moreover, they show a strong capacity to grow and succeed throughout their careers within their organization—more quickly and effectively than their peer groups do.”

If [behavioural skills](https://bodhih.com/behavioural-skills-training-in-india/) essentially mean those that determine your interpersonal interactions at work, then there is no doubt that they are vital for success at work. Without them, you could experience conflicts with co-workers and managers, fail to get work done from your team and also experience a drop in personal productivity.

Some of the key behaviours that help people to move up the corporate ladder are:

1. **Self-Motivation –** This behaviour makes someone work hard and move ahead without any sort of external intervention. It is what moves someone to take action out of their own interest and willingness.
2. **Building Rapport –** This behaviour makes someone connect brilliantly with another. Some parts of this behaviour are about who you are while several dimensions of building rapport are trained and acquired qualities.
3. **Empathy –** This behaviour makes people more understanding towards what others are going through. The clichéd ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes. A behaviour that is more commonly seen among individuals who actually care to understand the other’s perspective.
4. **Discipline –** The behaviour that gets developed if you join the army or air force or for that matter any of our corporate organizations that have commanders walking around. Over time, either through force or willingness, new behaviours are demonstrated.

–  Vinesh Sukumaran, Principal Consultant

## Quick answers

### Which behaviours help people move up the corporate ladder?

Self-motivation drives people to act without external pushing. Building rapport helps them connect with others, and much of it can be trained. Empathy lets them understand other perspectives. Discipline develops over time in structured organisations. Without such behavioural skills, people face conflict with colleagues and managers and lose productivity.