Do you know any of these people in your organization?
Amy is considered to be “very good” at her job and has always been viewed as a model team member.
James had several years of previous management experience when he joined your company last year, but he isn’t in a position of leadership at your organization.
Julie finished her college degree and Steve completed his apprenticeship, so now their professional and educational credentials are on par with many of your managers and leaders.
Are they the future leaders of your company? How do you know?
There are a number of factors that can help predict leadership success. And although no one formula will make the decision to promote employees foolproof, here are a few key characteristics I’ve seen determine success:
1. Does Amy understand the company’s big picture?A leader who is seen to have good decision-making capabilities is often one who can make those decisions with the big picture in mind. The ability to see how their team impacts the overall goals and success of the department and the company as a whole is important. They should be able to answer the question, “If I make this decision today, who else is impacted by it?”
2. Does James want to lead?A desire to take on the vast responsibilities that come with a management position is a basic but critical factor to consider. Perhaps James enjoys the reward of contributing his skills and expertise to a team and no longer sees (or perhaps never saw!) management as a rewarding and worthwhile way to contribute to the success of his company and to the satisfaction of his own career.
3. Does Julie have a learning mindset?Is she open and excited to develop her skills outside of the academic realm? A leader operating in a healthy culture of continuous learning must be excited by the possibility of learning new skills and open to the journey of leadership development and the very personal focus.
4. Is Steve open to feedbackto help him grow and develop?A good leader must be able to take feedback from many different sources and be open to making appropriate changes when necessary. A spirit of cooperation and self-awareness is key to embracing a culture with expectations of continuous development.
Would you like to intentionally provide opportunities for your employees to grow and develop into leaders or to help set the course for existing managers? These skills are at the heart of the approach of Sharp Leadership Development.
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