Question: We need to start building our next generation. It can”™t be just me and a couple of other older, experienced people who are running this company. But many of our future leaders haven”™t had any leadership training ”“ something we should be thinking about. Any suggestions?
Thoughts of the day: Leadership is a complex topic. Expose people early and often to the training they”™ll need to become successful leaders. Use breakdowns as growth opportunities, encouraging rather than discouraging potential leaders.
Many people say they”™d know leadership when they see it. Consider the following factors:
”¢Â Problem-solving learner, seeks out innovation, strives to excel;
”¢Â Enthusiastically initiates, using common sense and flexibility;
”¢Â Uses goals, objectives, plans as tools to move the organization forward;
”¢Â Shares information and power; delegates effectively;
”¢Â Gets results, demonstrating integrity and a high ethical standard;
”¢Â Motivates and develops people; able to critique in a positive way;
”¢Â Inspires people to reach deep, accomplish more than they thought possible;
”¢Â Makes decisions, takes action, is accountable and responsible; “owns up”;
”¢Â Resolves conflicts and builds cohesive teams; knows everyone matters;
”¢Â Organizes, fixes breakdowns, looks to make improvements;
”¢Â Encourages people around them to shine; shares credit;
”¢Â Knows their actions are watched; leads by example;
”¢Â Maintains a realistic, positive attitude;
”¢Â Active, accurate communicator;
”¢Â Self-aware, will stand alone, perseveres, and knows when to make a change; and
”¢Â Accurately assess personal weaknesses, seek out solutions and advisers
Think about the people you”™ve been around. Who do you know, people you would consider to have been great leaders? What attributes did they demonstrate? Add to the list above. Create your own leadership attributes list.
Periodically assess every employee. Have a scorecard that allows you to look at how they present a variety of attributes. Mark off progress as you see individuals demonstrating and building specific leadership skills.
Ask the senior people in the organization to pick their top three backup candidates. Assess those candidates based on leadership skills as well as task / job oriented skills. Figure what it will take to prepare those candidates to move up. Think about the challenges tied to both job skill and leadership skill development. Decide how far you are willing to go with investing in specific individuals.
Look further down into the organization. Are there individuals who already demonstrate leadership skills, even though they”™re just getting started in lower-level jobs? Assign them to mentors who can encourage them to stick with the company as they grow to a level where they can have a greater impact. Hold managers accountable for identifying and developing leaders.
Build a leadership-training program. Ask candidates to attend specific classes. If you have a lot of people to train, ask an outside organization to develop a custom program for your company. Tap into resources at local colleges. Ask the local community college if they have funds to build something specific.
Build your own leadership skills. Plan out what the organization will look like in five to 10 years, at two to three times its current size. Set goals for identifying internal candidates to fill leadership positions. Shift recruiting emphasis from searches for skills to include searches for leadership talent. Make sure the people in the organization are focused on a common mission.
When people in the organization make mistakes, treat them as learning opportunities. Keep in mind that when things go wrong, people get scared and need to know they are going to be okay. Ask people to think about how to solve the problems they”™ve created. Talk through the options. Then ask them to get going and fill you in on results. Encourage collaboration and information flow, so that people are fully aware, working together, helping each other to succeed.
Andi Gray is president of Strategy Leaders Inc., strategyleaders.com, a business-consulting firm that specializes in helping entrepreneurial firms grow. She can be reached by phone at 877-238-3535. Do you have a question for Andi? Please send it to her, via email at AskAndi@StrategyLeaders.com. Visit AskAndi.com for an entire library of her articles.
