Leadership development is your mission
As part of your mission as a leader, you must focus and prioritize developing your people. If done right and consistent enough, you might establish a reputation for molding good people into great leaders. You need to ensure that you not only set and expect high expectations but consistently lead by example. Challenging your team, especially those you deem as high-potentials, with tasks that will stretch their capabilities is a must. Leadership development is one of your most important responsibilities.
How do you mold great leaders?
The next generation of leaders must be given the opportunity to practice, try new things, and make mistakes. Great leaders need to be able to show initiative and a desire to improve. If you are fortunate enough to be working closely with good people who want to become great, provide them with just enough direction to get them started while letting them figure it out. Step aside and give them enough direction to start, allowing for possible mistakes but be ready to assist before a project or initiative goes off the rails. Remember, leadership development isn’t about giving people all the answers. Coaching and letting people make mistakes is needed. Sometimes these people will struggle, but there are times and situations where you might be pleasantly surprised.
Mold Talent into Great Leaders by Coaching to their Strengths
Improving weaknesses, while not impossible, are difficult to achieve. If someone shows potential or strength in a specific area of work, that they are also passionate about, encourage and recognize them for it. Those who are successful know what they are good at, choosing to operate in their zone of strength. Focus your coaching here, and you will find it much easier to mold your people into something great and spectacular. Think back to when you were in school. The subjects you were interested in were always the ones you achieve the great results in, weren’t they? The same applies to work. Ensure that you give team members assignments catered to their strengths that they are more likely to enjoy.
Final Thoughts About Leadership Development
Molding good people into great leaders, who can be the future of your team or organizations, can only be possible if you hired the right person from the get-go. Leadership development needs to be prioritized as part of the recruitment process. The old saying is that you should “hire slow; fire fast” and I couldn’t agree more. Take your time to make sure you find the right person for the role you are looking to fill. Complete whatever assessments are needed to ensure success. Include other departments, and those this person might work with as part of the interview process too. If you complete enough due diligence proactively, there will less of a chance of you needing to let someone go. Hire for potential superstars and don’t compromise.
Molding good people into great leaders is a skill reserved for managers who demonstrate experience, trust,
