Unlocking High Potential: How Top Talent Thrives—and What Holds Them Back Insights from Glain Roberts-McCabe on Engaging and Leading High Performers
foHRsight
12/25/25
•42m
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This episode features Naomi Titleman meeting with Glain Roberts-McCabe, Founder & President of The Roundtable Inc.
They dive deep into high-potential talent research, exploring what engages top performers and what causes them to burn out. This episode features insights from Roundtable's latest research on high-potential leaders.
Key discussion topics include:
Defining High Potentials:
- Balance between driving results and maintaining cultural alignment
- Core motivational drivers: helping others, excelling, adaptability
- Behavioral expectations vs. underlying motivational energy
What Engages High Potentials:
- Clarity: Clear priorities and understanding of goals
- Transparency: Honest career conversations and realistic expectations
- Quality career discussions: Beyond linear promotion paths
- Cross-functional opportunities:Leveraging adaptive strengths across organization
Major Barriers & Burnout Risks:
- Firefighting mode: 45% of respondents stuck in reactive work
- Unclear priorities: Moving goalposts without context
- Resource constraints: Ambitious targets without adequate support
- Development crowding: Operational demands overshadowing growth opportunities
Evolving Leadership Requirements:
- Strategic thinking: Increased emphasis on forward-thinking capabilities
- Technical depth: Leaders need subject matter expertise, not just general management
Cooperation: Willingness to trade individual agendas for organizational benefit
You can learn more about the research here:
https://goroundtable.com/the-2026-roundtable-report-on-high-potential-leaders/
And follow Glain on LinkedIn here:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/glain/
Don’t forget ...
To sign up for our monthly newsletter foHRsight at http://www.futurefohrward.com/subscribe.
Follow us on LinkedIn:
- Mark - www.linkedin.com/in/markedgarhr/
- Naomi - www.linkedin.com/in/naomititlemancolla/
- future foHRward - www.linkedin.com/company/future-fohrward/
And on Instagram - www.instagram.com/futurefohrward/
Previous Episode
Managing Your Emotions with Guest Greg Stewart
December 18, 2025
•38m
This episode of features Mark Edgar interviewing Greg Stewart, a counselor, executive coach, and consultant at Becoming More. Greg is the author of books on harnessing negative emotions.
Greg shares his path from ministry to counseling to organizational development, personal experience with emotional challenges that inspired the work and how he uses his combination of counseling, coaching, and consulting to support clients.
He shares insights on the current challenges at work and introduces his I3 (IQ) Model:
- Information: Gather complete information before forming opinions
- Interpretation: Consider multiple perspectives and challenge assumptions
- Intensity: Manage emotional energy appropriately
You can learn more about Greg’s work here:
Don’t forget ...
To sign up for our monthly newsletter foHRsight at http://www.futurefohrward.com/subscribe.
Follow us on LinkedIn:
- Mark - www.linkedin.com/in/markedgarhr/
- Naomi - www.linkedin.com/in/naomititlemancolla/
- future foHRward - www.linkedin.com/company/future-fohrward/
And on Instagram - www.instagram.com/futurefohrward/
Next Episode
It’s New Years Day so perfect timing for this week’s episode to drop as co-hosts Mark and Naomi catch-up on their reflections on 2025 and predictions for 2026.
Key discussion topics include:
2025 Insights:
- Macro trends continued from previous year with advancement in all categories
- Erosion of trust worsened due to AI-related misinformation and deep fraud
- AI advanced significantly beyond initial expectations
- Increased nationalism and tariffs impacted global businesses
- Return-to-office mandates generated headlines vs. reality
- HR and IT functions began merging into "HI" ☺
Major Disappointments:
- CHRO role perceived as declining in C-suite value
- DEI initiatives faced significant backlash, making the topic difficult to discuss
- Return-to-office policies became overly restrictive, reverting to pre-2005 monitoring practices
Proud Moments:
- Approaching 10th anniversary in 2026
- Celebrated 150th podcast episode
- Successful collaborations, particularly "The Complete Leader" with Vanessa Chehlawi
- Community growth and strategic newsletter changes
2026 Hopes:
- Reduce divisiveness and find common ground
- Address entry-level job concerns related to AI
- Support the "tool belt generation" choosing trades over traditional academic paths
- HR operating model evolution with creative solutions
- AI integration becoming seamless in daily tools
We’re excited for many more episodes and guests in 2026!
Don’t forget ...
To sign up for our monthly newsletter foHRsight at http://www.futurefohrward.com/subscribe.
Follow us on LinkedIn:
- Mark - www.linkedin.com/in/markedgarhr/
- Naomi - www.linkedin.com/in/naomititlemancolla/
- future foHRward - www.linkedin.com/company/future-fohrward/
And on Instagram - www.instagram.com/futurefohrward/
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