hi-pot
(HY-pawt)
n.
A young executive who is deemed by the company to have high potential for rapid movement up the corporate ladder.
Example Citation:
GM will choose its high-potential candidates — its "hi-pots" — very early in their careers and put them on a faster track than even before.
—Marjorie Sorge, "Straight from the top," Automotive Industries, November 1, 1999
Earliest Citation:
Remembering how he was picked out early and brought along rapidly, Swearingen has set up a system to identify young executives with "high potential" for future advancement. The Hi-Pots, as they are known, are shifted often into ever more demanding jobs, and their performance is reviewed by top management.
—Donald D. Holt, "How Amoco Finds All That Oil," Forbes, September 8, 1980
