Finding Leaders in your Organization
How to Identify Leaders
Do you know who will lead your business after you retire?
Does this question leave you scratching your head? If it does, buckle up, we have a lot to talk about. Lucky for you, we’re talking about leaders in this month’s blogs. Specifically, how to identify, train and empower them. And, how to set them up to eventually take your position. Remember, that’s your #1 goal as a leader: to develop more leaders so you can leave your business in good hands when you decide to retire or take a step back, or contribute differently.
To identify a potential leader, you need to know what you’re looking for. In my years of experience, these are the most valuable traits you want in leadership candidates.
Qualities of Great Leaders
● Problem solves and gets things done
● Inspires others to do great work
● Comfortable delegating
● Prefers to coach others instead of micromanaging
● Has confidence to speak up - even when it’s uncomfortable
● Loves a good challenge
● Consistently follows through and meets deadlines
● Looks for opportunities to optimize processes
These traits don’t always jump out at you, so you need to do some work here. You need to put your leadership candidate to the test. Here are some scenarios that have worked for me:
Give them assignments outside of their day-to-day duties. You want to see how they can stretch and adapt to different challenges. It’s also a valuable attitude check. A great leader will say “I’ve never done this, but I’m excited to figure it out”.
Give them opportunities before they are ready. You don’t want to lose leadership candidates because they are bored. You also need to see how they rise to challenges and navigate new problems.
Challenge them to improve a process or develop new procedures for day-to-day tasks. Great leaders aren’t glory hogs. They need to be able to do the less glamorous “behind-the-scenes” tasks. This can also help them earn the respect of their team members.
Keep in mind that there is no archetype for leadership. Anyone in your organization can be a leader - not just the people who are charismatic or can rally the troops with ease. It’s on you to find everyone’s superpower and give them the tools they need to thrive.