2.3% of school children are considered to be intellectually precocious according to a WHO study. Once they become adults, you might think that these high potential individuals (HPI) have a professional advantage. In reality, they sometimes find it difficult to fit into a company and to thrive in their professional life.

What does HPI mean? Are businesses really suitable for HPIs? And what tools do these atypical profiles need in order to thrive in the workplace?

What does it mean to be a HPI (high potential individual)?

We generally associate high intellectual potential with someone who has a higher than average IQ (a result above 130 is usually indicative of being a HPI). However, being a HPI is not just based on having an extraordinary intellectual quotient. Other elements are taken into consideration such as the way they reason.

The most widely used and recognised test for detecting high intellectual potential is called WAIS. Devised in the United States, this test makes it possible to carry out a comprehensive assessment and to assess a person’s intellectual abilities by assessing their verbal understanding, memory, logical reasoning and ability to process information. The objective is therefore to evaluate how

In terms of the brain, a study conducted at the CERMEP (Centre d’Imagerie du Vivant) in Lyon, France showed, using MRI, that the brains of HPI adults have greater brain connectivity than those of less gifted individuals. In other words, information between the two hemispheres or inside the same hemisphere is transmitted faster.

Specifically, how do you recognise high intellectual potential in a professional setting? While nuances exist, high potential individuals usually have several characteristics in common:

• Divergent thought. They make connections between two ideas or two subjects that sometimes have no apparent relationship to create an innovative solution. They reason by analogy.

• Developed creativity associated with strong curiosity.

• A desire for knowledge.

• Emotional hypersensitivity.

• They get bored quickly.

Between boredom and emotional over-investment, the company setting is not the best place for HPIs

When you are a high potential individual, the world of business may appear to be an unsuitable or even hostile place. Company structure and operation are based on codes that advocate silos, structured organisation, a pyramid system, controlled emotions and uniformity. Although there is more diversity and cross-cutting in management and organisation these days, these changes currently affect only a minority of companies.

And a HPI employee is known to have a low boredom threshold. Because they have advanced reasoning and analytical skills and a highly developed memory, they understand the ins and outs of a mission faster than others. Due to this, the probability of getting bored is also faster and greater. A HPI therefore needs to keep moving forward to stay motivated, stimulated and engaged. Also, a hierarchical and compartmentalised organisation does not allow a gifted individual to express their curiosity and creativity. They feel hemmed in by a job description and a work environment they consider to be too monotonous and narrow.

Another sign of unsuitability is that many HPIs are emotionally overinvested in their work. They are especially concerned about the image they project and they overcorrect to try and fit the mould. This kind of energy-intensive attitude tends to lead to exhaustion, perfectionism and, paradoxically, isolation.

Having a HPI onboard does, however, offer businesses advantages

Behind the misconceptions about the solitary genius, the free electron or even the “weirdo’ fed by cinema and giving the impression that they are difficult employees to manage , high potential individuals actually have many qualities to offer companies. In a VUCA world notable for significant economic, ecological and societal challenges, organisations need talented and curious people who can learn and analyse a situation quickly and well, and who know how to be creative. Skills that HPIs have.

They can therefore be a genuine asset for a company. Their curiosity naturally leads them to feed their need for knowledge and observe a situation from every angle. Their speed of analysis makes them excellent advisers and decision-makers. They also have a reputation for being complex problem solvers. Some companies understand this and have decided to take action to better identify HPI employees and support them in allowing them to express their full potential, develop and thrive professionally. The Orange Group is known for this and the Neuroteam programme they developed:

“At Orange, we want to empower everyone, whatever their singularities, to express their potential to participate fully in the development of the company. That is why we have decided to make neuro diversity a pillar of our equal opportunities policy, along with age, origin, opinion, disability, sexual orientation or gender identity.”

Elizabeth Tchoungui, Group Executive Director in charge of CSR

Wage-earner or entrepreneur? What should you choose as a HPI?

With this observation, we can ask ourselves: should a high potential individual turn their back on a wage-earning career? The answer is not so clear cut. Some people need the stability and financial security that earning a salary brings. Rather than giving up the benefits of this status for good or resigning yourself to a gloomy professional future, it is better to turn to business models that adapt (as much as possible) to HPI. But how do you find them?

These companies stand out from “traditional” companies with their flexible, horizontal and transversal organisation. In general, this is the case with start-ups. It is also important to pay attention to the company culture. The more a company values initiatives, innovation, the right to make mistakes, intrapreneurship and inclusive management, the more a gifted individual will be likely to feel at home.

For others, the only desirable option is entrepreneurship. Taking that path, they are completely free to build a tailor-made professional life. The flexibility offered by freelancing also attracts them.

The tools to thrive at work as a HPI

Whatever the choice you make (salary or entrepreneurship), there are tools to help HPIs feel happier at work. In the first place, it is advisable to understand how they operate. What does it mean to be a high potential individual? What does it look like? What are the difficulties encountered? In contrast, what are the strengths? How can you make them an asset at work ? To successfully carry out this project, seek the advice of a psychologist specialised in supporting HPIs.

Learning how to better manage emotions is also important, as gifted people tend to be hypersensitive. At the same time, working with communication techniques such as non-violent communication (NVC) helps in making yourself understood and to understand colleagues in order to build good relationships.