In a company, it is important to bridge the gap between high-potential employees and high-performing employees. High potential refers to the ability to grow and develop into leadership roles. On the other hand, high performance refers to the ability to achieve results consistently.

In the hiring process, you look for high-potential applicants. Hire them and convert them to high-performing employees. As a consequence, a high performer can give you the desired immediate results. However, retaining the high performer is the real challenge.

High-potential applicants need nurturing to be able to be high-performing employees. You have to value the relationship first before the results. If we want loyalty, we must model loyalty—and it must start with a culture of care and growth. When leadership genuinely cares about the personal life of team members, it shows young employees that their company is willing to go above and beyond to support them. And they want to return the favor.

It is also important to emphasize soft skills. This means we must take time to mentor them, not just manage them. Don’t just foster company growth at meetings, foster personal growth as well. In this way, you will be able to bridge the gap from high-potential applicants to high-performing employees.