Leaders in different walks of life constantly need to search for innovative and effective ways of shielding their organizations from external and internal shocks—especially the fallout from ethical wrongdoings—and actualizing the full potential of their staff. In this endeavor, it is of paramount importance to cure problems at the roots instead of combating symptoms only. This paper suggests that movers and shakers can use the new “leadership pearl chain” model (a) to identify and grow leadership talent who can form part of their inner circle of followers, and (b) to develop themselves. Each of the following five “leadership pearls”, which form a chain, is vitally important and necessary: (1) technical competence, (2) critical thinking and decision-making skills, (3) people skills, (4) values, and (5) integrity and trustworthiness. Identifying one’s own leadership pearl profile and the profile of others, as well as benchmarking the individual scores against various pearl archetypes, is a precondition for designing effective developmental interventions.

During my in-depth discussions with helmsmen at the end of their professional lives, I noticed an intriguing pattern as regards the decisive qualities they expected from a high-potential employee: Their priorities often changed markedly in the course of their career. In my analysis, this partly could be explained by the extent to which personal attributes were measurable. It also depended on the qualities on which the leaders focused at the respective stage of their professional life in terms of self-development. Besides, as they reached higher levels in the organization, they often had to count on different follower characteristics. Finally, their increased appreciation for intangibles in particular was the fruit of continuous reflection and signaled wisdom gained through experience.

Adopting a Benchmark for Talent Quality: Appreciating the Five Pearls of Leadership In essence, the movers and shakers should use what I call the “leadership pearl chain” model (a) to identify and grow leadership seeds that can form part of their inner circle of followers, and (b) to develop themselves (see Figure 1). Each of the following five “leadership pearls” is important and necessary—the chain breaks at its weakest link. Besides, each higher-order leadership pearl is to some degree dependent on the lower-order pearls. The leadership pearls in their entirety enable followers to create valuable outcomes, such as extensive social networks and smart solutions.

Powering on Potential, Surviving and Succeeding,Leadership Pearl Chain Model, How to Identify and Develop Reliable Talent, Complex World