Do high-potential personality traits yield equal career returns? Gender-contingent effects on perceived career success

Purpose This study examines whether high-potential traits yield equivalent career success returns for men and women. Moving beyond general personality–career success associations, it investigates whether the functional value of high-potential traits is contingent on gender, with implications for evidence-based talent identification and evaluation. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 630 managerial professionals in India enrolled in executive programs. High-potential traits were assessed using the High Potential Trait Inventory (HPTI), and perceived career success was measured via self-report. Hierarchical regression analyses tested trait effects, and moderation analyses using PROCESS macro for SPSS examined whether gender conditioned the relationships between high-potential traits and perceived success. Findings Competitiveness, Courage, and Conscientiousness positively predicted perceived career success, whereas Adjustment and Curiosity showed negative associations. Gender significantly moderated several trait–success relationships, supporting the asymmetric-thresholds mechanism. Originality/value This study contributes to evidence-based Human Resource Management (HRM) by demonstrating that high-potential trait assessments are not gender-neutral in their outcomes. By showing that the value of key talent indicators depends on the evaluative context, the findings provide actionable insights for designing fairer and more valid talent identification and development systems.