The 7P's of cultivating potential

We all want to hire people who make a lasting difference in our teams, institutions, and fields. To catalyze their success, we provide the resources we can, such as administrative support, dedicated time for research, or funds for specialized training. But rarely do we ask a more fundamental question: “What conditions will help this person become who they're capable of being?” Over the years, I've interviewed more than a 1000 physicians for roles spanning clinical care, research, and institutional leadership. In each of those conversations, I've tried to move beyond what's on the polished curriculum vitae and instead focus on how the person in front of me thinks, responds, connects, and leads. I want to get a clearer sense of who they are and who they might become. Of course, accomplishments matter. But past successes, while informative, don't always reveal a candidate's readiness or the structures, circumstances, and opportunities they'll need to flourish. Early in my career, one of my mentors, Dr. Stephen Ludwig, shared a deceptively simple approach to anticipating where young physicians might struggle in adapting to clinical practice in a quaternary care health system. He highlighted the importance of learning how they found poise, where they found pride, and what areas of work fueled their passion. This knowledge informed his guidance. That advice stuck with me. Over time, as I interviewed more candidates and worked with more colleagues, I expanded that original guidance into what I now call the 7P's of Potential. These seven characteristics—poised, proud, passionate, partnering, productive, proactive, and perseverant—help me structure interviews and bring greater depth to my assessments. The 7P's are not a formal scale; rather, they're a practical, experience-based rubric that helps me discern what a person might need to succeed in a given environment, or what kind of environment will allow them to thrive. Poised Consider: How do they respond when things don't go as planned? What happens when they receive constructive feedback or face conflicting opinions? How do they manage uncertainty? Ask: What environments help them feel grounded and confident? What throws them off balance? Proud Consider: What aspects of their work do they take pride in? How do they talk about their growth, or their role, in both successes and failures? Ask: What makes them feel proud? What makes them feel invisible? Passionate Consider: What drives their curiosity and commitment? Who do they want to be? Ask: What parts of their work energize them? What makes them feel stagnant? Partnering Consider: How do they build relationships? What do their collaborations look like? How do they navigate differences? Ask: Where do they find a sense of community? What types of teams bring out their best work? Productive Consider: What patterns do they notice in how they get things done? How do they balance quality, reliability, and follow-through? Ask: When do they feel most effective? When do they feel overextended? Proactive Consider: How do they approach planning or anticipate challenges? What prompts them to seek guidance or new opportunities? Ask: What inspires them to take initiative? What holds them back? Perseverant Consider: When faced with obstacles, what do they do? How do they stay engaged with long-term goals, especially in the face of setbacks? Ask: What keeps them going? What depletes them? People aren't finished products. They're ecosystems, complex, evolving, and deeply affected by their surroundings. The 7P's help me understand not just the individual, but the soil they'll need to flourish, and that's the opportunity to translate the information you've gathered into something actionable. For example, when exploring poise, a candidate who shares that they feel most composed when given time to prepare may benefit from advance notice of agendas or opportunities to rehearse in low-stakes settings. When discussing proactivity, a junior faculty member who is eager to take initiative but hesitant about overstepping may benefit from clear signals of permission to lead, along with defined decision-making boundaries. For perseverance, a candidate who manages setbacks well but feels discouraged when their efforts go unrecognized may be more likely to excel in an environment where regular, specific feedback is the norm and incremental progress is celebrated as much as the outcome. I've also found this lens helpful when reflecting on how well our settings and culture nurture different kinds of candidates. It's essential to explore why one person flourishes while another struggles. This type of system-level reflection is crucial for building high-functioning teams. Using a shared rubric, such as the 7P's, creates an opportunity to examine those questions more systematically and encourages a more intentional and reflective approach to recognizing and supporting potential. Of course, there are risks inherent in any framework built on subjective interpretation. Traits such as poise, proactiveness, and perseverance are shaped by the personal, interpersonal, cultural, and societal contexts in which we were raised and in which we live and work. They may also be perceived differently by different evaluators. We need to be mindful that our efforts to help don't inadvertently reinforce unconscious biases. The 7P's are not a checklist but rather a prompt for deeper inquiry. We all want the people on our teams and in our communities to thrive in ways that matter to them and to others. The next time you interview someone, consider what you can learn about them in each of these dimensions and how you might create the conditions for them not just to succeed but to achieve their full potential. The 7P's aren't meant to be prescriptive. If you use them, I'd love to hear what worked, what you adapted, and what you learned. The author has no funding to report. The author declares no conflict of interest.