Your Essential Guide to Developing Leaders in Your Organization

The future is in your hands! The unemployment rate is at 3.6%, roughly the same level as it was before the pandemic. More people are engaged with the workforce than ever before, so you can find qualified employees who will take your company to the next level. 

But you shouldn't rush your leadership decisions. You need to figure out how to develop leaders and move your developing leaders into the right positions. You can take the first step here. 

How can you identify potential leaders? What should your leadership program look like? What should your mentorship strategies be like? 

Answer these questions and you can develop leaders in the perfect way. Here is your quick guide.

Keep an Eye Out for Potential Leaders

You should have good connections with all departments and levels of your company. This will help you increase company morale, and it will let you find the most promising employees at your company.

There are many values of leadership. A good leader will use active listening skills in conversations and care about the people on their team. They can make decisions after considering the evidence in front of them, but they are flexible with their plans and they solve problems as they occur.

No person exhibits all qualities of a great leader. But if an employee has a few of them, you should write their name down. Keep in contact with them and learn more about their life.

If no one stands out to you, you can conduct companywide efforts to find future leaders. You can run an engagement survey, asking employees to assess their skills and interest in the company. You can also conduct interviews with department heads to see if any employees show exemplary skills.

Develop a Leadership Program

Leadership development can occur through a program you run. But you need to keep in mind that each person learns differently and has their own strengths and weaknesses. The more you tailor your program to an individual's needs, the better you can develop them.

In general, your program should focus on on-the-job training. Potential leaders should shadow current leaders and have conversations with them.

They should move into new projects in departments they have not previously worked in. They don't have to take charge, but they should learn about the departments through short-term assignments. 

Potential leaders should spend a little time in formal training. They can receive coaching, feedback from you and other leaders, and classroom-based instruction. They can study in classes on a college campus to receive certificates or diplomas for their job as well.

Take some time building your leadership program. You will need to talk to department heads in order to coordinate projects for your potential leaders. You may need money to pay for classroom instructors.

Once you've found a few people to attend your program, you should ask if they are interested. It is okay if someone turns down the offer. They may be happy with the position they're in, or they may need to take care of things in their personal life.

Delegate Responsibilities

Don't force responsibilities onto your leaders until they have settled into your program. They should receive clear expectations from you about what the program will be like and what development areas for leaders you are looking for. 

After a few weeks, you can assign new projects to your leaders. Keep these projects short-term, and develop rubrics for them so you can assess your leaders' performances. You should assess them on people management skills, strategic thinking skills, and engagement. 

These projects can be in the departments where your leaders came from. But you may want to put your leaders in touch with people from other departments. For a sales project, you can ask someone to contact marketing officials. 

If a leader does not complete a project successfully, you can transition them back to their old position. If they do complete it, you can move them to the next stage of the program. You can give them another assignment that requires them to talk to different departments. 

Keep going until your leader gets comfortable with interdepartmental communications. They should also learn about how to manage teams and delegate responsibilities to others.

Make sure the leader's new responsibilities don't interfere with their current responsibilities. They should keep their old job as they go through the early stages of the program. Once they reach the later stages, you can transition them to a new role.

Mentor Your Developing Leaders

You can mentor your leaders in a few different ways. You should have one-on-one conversations with your leaders, giving your thoughts on their performance. 

You should also match your emerging leaders with mentors one or two levels above them. This allows the mentors to transfer their knowledge. This also lets the leaders determine if they want to assume the mentors' positions when they retire.

Mentoring meetings can happen every week or so. They can be formal or informal. A five-minute casual chat can work, especially for a leader who has a lot on their agenda.

Get Started On Developing Your Company's Next Leaders

Developing leaders need your help. Remain attentive to all of your departments and keep an eye out for compassionate and diligent employees. 

Create a leadership program that will let your employees learn skills over time. Bring your employees into the program and give them assignments that help them learn about your company. 

Mentorship can be informal, letting your employees touch base with seasoned professionals. After a few months, you can transition your aspiring leaders into leadership positions. 

But you shouldn't run a leadership program on your own. Sherpa Cruise helps companies find their next leaders. Contact us today.