A high-potential leadership program is a structured journey that develops employees identified as capable of moving into bigger leadership roles. It combines objective assessment, individual development plans, four workshop modules, coaching, senior mentoring and an action learning project. Bodhih runs it over 6 to 9 months, designed around each organisation's leadership competencies and succession needs.
- Recommended: 6 to 9 months, with assessment, four workshop modules, coaching and an action learning project
- Level: Advanced · Blended · In person · Live virtual
- Designed with the ADDIE model and customised to your context
- Offered by Bodhih since 2008 to 2,000+ organisations across 7 regions
Also known as: HiPo leadership program, high potential employee development program, HiPo development program, emerging leaders program
Where and how: high potential leadership training as an in-person workshop in Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Jaipur; as a live online course; or delivered overseas in Dubai, Singapore and across the Middle East, Asia and Africa.
Last reviewed by Siddharthan VGJ, Founder · Bodhih Training, Bengaluru
Why HiPo programs need a rethink
Many organisations invest in high-potential talent yet still struggle to fill senior roles from within. Nominations are often subjective, development is generic and high performers leave when they see no clear path.
A well-designed high potential leadership program fixes these gaps. It uses fair assessment, real stretch work and ongoing support, and connects development to actual succession decisions.
Gallup, citing Gartner research, reports that 73% of HiPo programs do not yield any ROI.
What participants will be able to do
Know their leadership profile
Understand their strengths and development areas through assessment and 360° feedback.
Own a development plan
Build and track an individual development plan using the 70-20-10 approach.
Think across the enterprise
Make decisions that balance their function's goals with enterprise priorities and trade-offs.
Lead leaders
Shift from managing individuals to leading managers, setting direction through others.
Deliver a strategic project
Lead a cross-functional action learning project and present results to senior leadership.
Build sponsorship and networks
Develop relationships with mentors and sponsors who support their growth.
Who should attend
- Managers identified as high potential through talent reviews
- Senior individual contributors ready for leadership roles
- Successors named for critical roles in succession plans
- Emerging leaders in GCCs, IT services, BFSI, pharma and manufacturing
- Women leaders in accelerated development tracks
- HR and talent leaders designing HiPo frameworks
Program outline
Recommended design, customised to your context after a short needs analysis.
01Identification and assessmentModule 1 · Pre-program+
- Defining potential: aspiration, ability and engagement
- Using the 9-box grid well, and its common biases
- Leadership assessment, psychometrics and 360° feedback
- Individual feedback session and development priorities
02Leading self: purpose and learning agilityModule 2 · 1 day+
- Leadership purpose and personal values
- Learning agility: mental, people, change and results agility
- Building an IDP with the 70-20-10 model
- Personal resilience for high-demand roles
03Leading others and leadersModule 3 · 1 day+
- From managing tasks to leading managers
- Coaching and developing leaders below you
- Building high-performing teams and handling conflict
- Leading through influence across functions
04Leading the businessModule 4 · 1 day+
- Enterprise mindset and business acumen
- Strategic choices and trade-offs
- Financial drivers of your business
- Leading change and innovation
05Action learning projectModule 5 · 3 to 4 months+
- Cross-functional team working on a real business challenge
- Executive sponsor for each project
- Mid-point review and coaching
- Final presentation to the leadership team
06Coaching, mentoring and closing reviewModule 6 · Ongoing+
- Group or one-to-one coaching between modules
- Senior mentor conversations
- Re-assessment and next-step career conversation
Sample workshop plan: 4 workshop days, hands-on
These are the four classroom days inside the high-potential journey. Module 1 turns assessment and 360-degree data into a personal development plan and tests learning agility in unfamiliar challenges. Module 2 shifts participants from managing tasks to leading managers. Module 3 builds enterprise thinking through a business simulation and launches cross-functional action learning projects. The closing day puts each HiPo through a first-100-days simulation as a business head, followed by project presentations to the leadership team and career conversations.
Participants have a clear leadership purpose, insight into their learning agility and a development plan they own.
- 09:30–10:10The unfamiliar taskGroup challenge
- 10:10–11:00My profile in one pageDiagnostic
- 11:15–12:15Purpose that holds upPeer coaching
- 12:15–13:00Plans that go beyond coursesConcept burst
- 13:45–15:00My development planBuild sprint
- 15:15–16:30Resilience for high-demand rolesCase clinic
- 16:30–17:30Sharing the planReflection
Participants can lead through managers, coach leaders below them, handle team conflict and influence across functions.
- 09:30–10:00Plan check-inFeedback round
- 10:00–11:00Leading through managersSimulation
- 11:15–12:30Coaching a leader, not a doerSkill drill
- 12:30–13:00Stages of team conflictCase clinic
- 13:45–15:00The team in campsRole-play
- 15:15–16:30Influence without authorityReal-play
- 16:30–17:30Leading leaders: my shiftsReflection
Participants can read the financial drivers of their business, make strategic trade-offs and launch an action learning project.
- 09:30–10:00Guess the P&LEnergiser
- 10:00–11:00Financial drivers of our businessHands-on lab
- 11:15–13:00Three-year business simulationBusiness game
- 13:45–14:30Leading a change people fearCase clinic
- 14:45–16:30Action learning launchBuild sprint
- 16:30–17:30Enterprise lensReflection
Participants demonstrate readiness in a senior-role simulation, present their project and agree their next career step.
- 09:30–10:00Then and nowEnergiser
- 10:00–11:15First 100 days as business headSimulation
- 11:30–13:00Project presentationsPresentation
- 13:45–15:00Project lessonsGallery walk
- 15:15–16:30Career conversation prepPeer coaching
- 16:30–17:30My next 12 monthsAction planning
Every session’s activity, timings, outputs and materials, plus pre-work, a 90-day reinforcement plan and how impact is measured. Free, emailed to you instantly.
Recommended: a 6- to 9-month journey with pre-program assessment, three 1-day workshop modules (09:30–17:30), a 3- to 4-month action learning project, coaching and mentoring, and a closing day with final project presentations. A sample design: every Bodhih program is customised after a short needs analysis.
How long is the high-potential leadership program?
The recommended journey runs six to nine months: assessment, three 1-day workshop modules, a three- to four-month action learning project, coaching and mentoring, and a closing day. Modules can run as live virtual sessions for global cohorts, and an emerging leaders track is shorter.
What activities are included in the high-potential leadership program?
HiPos turn assessment and 360-degree feedback into a development plan, lead through managers in a simulation, coach team leads on real challenges, run a business over three simulated years, deliver a cross-functional project and face a first-100-days business head simulation.
How we deliver it
Assessment-led design
Objective assessment at the start makes development personal and gives HR better data for talent decisions.
Learning by doing
The action learning project delivers real business value while stretching participants beyond their current role.
Senior leader involvement
Sponsors and mentors from your leadership team give HiPos exposure and make the program part of the business.
Cohort community
Peer learning circles build a network of future leaders across functions and locations, who continue to support each other long after the program ends.
Tailored versions
Emerging leaders track
For high-potential individual contributors and new managers, focused on leading self and leading others, with a shorter project and peer coaching.
Senior HiPo track
For future business and functional heads, with more emphasis on strategy, enterprise leadership and executive exposure.
For GCCs and global organisations
Mixed cohorts across countries, live virtual modules and projects that serve global business priorities.
How we measure impact
The ADDIE evaluation plan links learning to succession outcomes. We run leadership assessments and 360° feedback on AssessAll at the start and end to measure growth. Sponsors rate the action learning projects. IDP progress is reviewed at 30, 60 and 90 days after each module. Over 12 to 24 months, we help HR track promotion rates, bench strength for critical roles and retention of the cohort.
Pair this program with AssessAll, Bodhih’s AI assessment platform, for pre- and post-program skill measurement.
Frequently asked questions
What is a high potential employee?
A high potential employee is someone who has the ability, aspiration and engagement to grow into more senior and complex roles. High performance is not the same as high potential: a person can excel in their current role but not want or suit a bigger one. Good HiPo programs assess all three dimensions.
How do you identify high potential employees?
Combine manager nomination with objective data. Use a clear definition of potential, calibrate talent reviews across managers, and add assessments such as psychometrics, leadership assessments and 360° feedback. Tools like the 9-box grid help, but only when managers are trained to avoid bias. Bodhih can run assessments through AssessAll.
How long should a HiPo program be?
Effective high potential programs usually run for six to twelve months, because leadership growth needs time and real application. Our recommended design spans six to nine months, combining assessment, workshops, an action learning project and coaching. Shorter versions are possible but should still include on-the-job stretch.
What should a high potential program include?
A strong program includes fair identification and assessment, individual development plans, leadership workshops, stretch assignments or action learning, coaching, mentoring by senior leaders and regular review. It should also connect to succession planning, so development leads to real career moves rather than just a certificate.
Should you tell employees they are high potential?
Most organisations now choose transparency, because it helps retention and engagement. The key is to communicate carefully: potential is not a guarantee of promotion, status can change, and being in the program brings expectations. We help HR teams prepare the communication and manage those not selected.
How is this different from Bodhih's accelerated leadership program?
The high potential leadership program is a full talent journey, starting with identification and assessment and ending with succession outcomes. It runs over several months and includes action learning and sponsorship. Our accelerated leadership program is a shorter, workshop-based option that can form one part of a wider HiPo journey.
How do you measure the success of a HiPo program?
Look beyond satisfaction scores. Measure growth in leadership capability through repeat assessments and 360° feedback, the business value of action learning projects, and, over one to two years, promotion rates, readiness for critical roles and retention of the cohort. These measures show whether the high potential leadership program is actually strengthening your succession bench.