Many are familiar with the expression “It takes a village” when raising children. The same is often said when developing future leaders for an organization because most managers are made, not born. Everyone from HR and managers, to peers and mentors, plays a role in developing an employee’s leadership skills, which makes them a good candidate for a leadership position.
But before you can develop this new manager, you first need to find him. You need to know what you are looking for in leadership skills. Second, you need to find the employees who have potential and develop ideal management skills through various methods such as training courses, mentoring, and professional growth resources.
Know what you are looking for
Each organization has different values and its own corporate culture. This means that some styles of leadership will excel in your organization, while others may fall flat. Before you start developing future leaders, take a moment to assess the leadership skills and qualities that will work in your organization.
Nurturing an employee for a managerial position without providing them with the skills to be successful is a wasteful effort. In today’s ever-changing world, leadership comes in many shapes and sizes. Some believe that leaders should be enthusiastic, innovative, inspiring and transformative. Others believe that an effective leader offers a variety of opinions, ideas and solutions.
Aligning the culture and values of the company is another factor when identifying and developing future leaders. As is the case in many organizations, as a business evolves, senior leaders renew themselves and new generations take their place. The change or adjustment of company values is an unintended benefit of leadership change, especially when that cultural change occurs through movement rather than top-down tenure. After all, most organizations want to adapt and evolve to cultural changes.
Identify potential leaders
Identifying who will make a good future leader is easier said than done. It really is a team effort to find these people. HR and managers need to work together to identify who can be a good candidate through different modes. Here are some recommendations.
Performance reviews
Individual contributors who regularly receive praise, year after year, from several colleagues, across the board? Make sure there is a section where managers can indicate if they are recommending an employee for a management position?
Regular praise
Are there employees who continuously receive praise in your organization’s recognition system? Specifically, are they recognized for the qualities you want to see in your leaders, such as embarking on a project, going the extra mile, extraordinary problem-solving skills, etc.
Surveys
Does your organization regularly conduct surveys of managers and employees to identify people interested in a management role or as an opportunity for managers to recommend a potential candidate? Providing employees with the opportunity to self-assess and even to express their interest in taking on a leadership role within an organization makes searching easier.
Consider automating many of these recommendations using a data-driven communication platform to identify other skills that an employee may not recognize as a strength and ensure those skills are developed and developed.
To further support employee development, a platform that sends relevant and timely follow-ups to team members on their performance reviews and tracks goals increases employee engagement and leads to improved productivity. And, because personalized rewards and recognition improve performance and make employees feel valued, the same platform can distribute smart rewards for employees completing a task.
Develop the right skills
Once potential leaders have been identified, managers should continue to help these people develop the right skills, even after they have been transferred to a management role. Make sure that their manager communicates with them regularly on their growth and progress, and shares different professional resources such as articles, webinars and lectures.
Consider taking advantage of a mentoring program where selected employees can learn from other leaders in their chosen field, gain support and expand their network.
And finally, replace sweat with software. Harness the power of a data-driven communication platform that uses data points to send personalized messages to employees, sharing development programs, virtual workshops, management system courses learning (LMS) and interdepartmental training programs.
The platform can determine if an employee has participated and engaged with these resources or needs additional support, mentorship and coaching.
Are you ready to identify the next generation of leaders for your organization? Download this Employee growth and leadership toolbox.
About the Author
John McDonnell is COO + CFO at Evive. It has a proven track record in helping businesses grow and grow. According to Evive: “He is a practical leader with a clear understanding of business economics and the main drivers of value. “
Interesting related article: “What is motivation?” “