I have been waiting for a book like this for years! This is an outstanding tour-de-force in helping organisations identify and develop high potential talent. This book is in a category of its' own, and every HR professional needs to read it from cover to cover. A must read if you truly care about developing your people.

Cary L. Cooper, CBE, Distinguished Professor of Organizational Psychology and Health at Lancaster University Management School, and Chair of the Academy of Social Sciences

Spotting, managing and retaining high performers is crucial for the success of any organisation - and Ian MacRae and Adrian Furnham provide a characteristically engaging and accessible account of what we know about this area, and crucially, how to make good use of this knowledge.

Professor Paul Webley, Director, SOAS, University of London

Adrian Furnham's unique view on leadership goes from strength to strength. In his latest book with Ian MacRae he helps us to understand the importance of identifying and developing the potential that lies within our greatest asset – our people. This is the potential that got us through the interview process in the first place. Perhaps, more importantly, he shows us how to 'select out' as well as 'select in' thus preventing all the HR heartaches that arise when things go wrong.

Wing Commander Glynn Allcock, Strategic Leadership Programme. Director Defence Academy of the UK

High Potential is not only an all-encompassing review of the science of potential but also encourages you to develop strategies on how to attract, select, develop, grow, and retain truly talented individuals in your organisation; those who in the end will make the difference.

Paul K Winter, Director Worldly Leadership Foundation

Too often the term “High Potential” is applied to individuals who aren't because organisations fail to properly identify them. This then has a very damaging effect on both the organisation and the individual – where assessing on past performance alone this leads to over 50% failing in their next level roles. In the future this should not happen as this book deals effectively with the issues of accurate identification, development and even potential derailing of those critical to organisational success now and in the future. For the astute ambitious individual this also provides an excellent “self-development” guide.

Chris Roebuck, former Global Head of Talent and Leadership UBS and Visiting Professor of Transformational Leadership Cass Business School London

MacRae and Furnham have penned a provocative exploration of the psychology of high potential, offering creative ways to spot and develop talented people. The section on beliefs and attitudes about work highlights important territory that is sometimes overlooked.

John Hughes, Head of Leadership Development, PwC UK