Great companies are led by effective leaders. No matter how strong an organization’s products and services may be, the company cannot be successful if the wrong people are steering the ship. While there will always be times when you will have to conduct an outside search for a leader, it is much more effective to build your bench from within so that talented people can step into new roles when they open. Use these strategies to develop great leaders within your company.
“Developing a leader takes time and consistent communication. Be bold and help someone on your team grow their accomplishments on their resume with strategic initiatives that move the company forward. Empower them and expose them to other leaders within the company to ensure everyone is influencing the leader in training. At the end of the day, if you create a leader, then you need to make sure that they will create a leader also. This cycle will create strength within your organization and succession planning will become obvious!” says Sharon Tsao, EVP Sales & Marketing, Contemporary Staffing Solutions.
Recruit Passionate People At All Levels
Developing great leaders starts with hiring great people that aren’t just skilled in their field, but who also possess a real passion for what they do. Passion isn’t something you can easily train into people like a technical skill. People either have the fire or they don’t. Great leaders motivate people to action, and they do that through their own passion. Make sure that recruiting, whether it’s entry-level or upper-management, focuses on passion.
Focus On Internal Leadership Development
If you want to grow leaders, you must put time and resources into doing just that. Current leaders must learn how to identify high-potential individuals and work with them to develop strong leadership skills. This may involve mentorship, sending them to formal training, working with them to hash out a clear set of goals for development, and assigning them opportunities to lead small groups or projects.
Challenge Future Leaders
Leaders face challenges every day, and the way they work to overcome those challenges has a major impact on their success. High-potential future leaders should be challenged regularly to help them build resilience, develop problem-solving skills, and grow their confidence. Push future potential leaders outside their comfort zone by assigning them unfamiliar tasks, assigning tasks just above their current skill level and cross-training them in other departments. Part of this process will involve learning to deal with failure, which in and of itself teaches valuable leadership lessons. This means carefully choosing assignments that present a challenge but won’t lead to catastrophic results if failure occurs.
Expose Future Leaders To Current Leaders
Future leaders need role models, and there are no better role models that current successful leaders within your organization. Create opportunities for high-potential employees to mix and mingle or even work for current leaders on specific projects. Encourage future leaders to reach out and ask a successful employee to mentor or counsel them, so they can learn what it takes to move up and move forward within the organization.
Develop Their Networking Skills
Strong leaders have great networks. They know who they can call if they need information or assistance, and they also provide value to people who need information or assistance from them. Business is all about relationships, so it is important to coach future leaders on how to network effectively. Create opportunities for them to build relationships with colleagues they don’t know well, especially people outside their current team.
Are You Looking For Future Leaders For Your Business?
If you are looking to improve your talent acquisition, hiring and retention strategies so you can build a strong bench and develop future leaders, partner with a true market leader. Contemporary Staffing Solutions is a nationally-recognized expert in staffing and recruiting. Contact us today to learn how CSS can help you achieve your goals. Direct Hire job opportunities in accounting, finance and human resources are available immediately at Contemporary Staffing Solutions near King of Prussia, PA and Jacksonville, FL.