The demand for proven leaders exceeds the supply—so much so that headhunters prosper even in soft economies as organizations offer enormous compensation packages to attract superstars. The problem is that everyone pursues the same proven leaders. Organizations that consciously grow their future leaders instead of bidding for outside talent are far more likely to consistently produce better results.

Most executives spend considerable time minimizing risks in their strategic decisions, but skip such thinking in personnel decisions. Developing high potentials reduces the risks inherent in leadership-level hiring decisions. To win the battle for talent, your organization must ensure that an effective leadership development and retention program is a core element of its long-term strategy.

Part 3 presents a bottom-to-top succession strategy that will help your orga­nization win the battle for talent (Chapter 11), and addresses the special challenge of leading other high-potentials (Chapter 12). It provides tips for holding baseline and feedback conversations (Chapter 13) that form the foundation for success, and shows how integrate training, mentoring, and coaching into your daily routine to eliminate obstacles that block progress—yours and your people’s (Chapter 14). We close by focusing on effective ways to recognize your people’s accomplishments and celebrate their successes (Chapter 15).