6 ways of Identifying future leaders
95% of success is SELECTION – SO What should YOU be looking for in future leaders of your organisation?
You ultimately need the right people in the right positions to create a good culture and have the best leaders in the right places.
In an organisation there are mainly three types of people:
- Leaders
- Producers
- Role Players
Having these in wrong places will seriously impact your productivity, loyalty and cohesiveness.
It is most important to get this selection right so as to build a high-performance organisation
The best way is identifying the people who are already demonstrating leadership abilities in their present roles in your organisation.
- Initiative – future leaders do not wait for others or for them to have a new role – they see how to make things better and they do it. Most people have an avoidance mindset – they stay clear of any new option or getting involved too much. They push responsibility up the management chain to avoid accountability
- They Think Strategically – they ask questions, they make suggestions, they come with ideas, they are looking and listening, and they are thinking beyond their role. Most people take a narrow look at their role – future leaders look beyond their present role
- Resilience – Stress is always the best test – failures, defeats, wins – reveal character. Adversity brings out the ESSENCE of people (they reveal WHO they are in adversity). Does a crisis provoke them or stop them? Is their Fear greater than their Faith? Faith in the team, in the leadership and in themselves – to lead/move through it? Do they curse the dark or look for the light switch?
- Communication – Pay attention to how they communicate with their colleges. Do they communicate clearly and with confidence? Are they listened to and respected by others? Does their voice carry weight and influence their colleges? Do they come to meetings prepared? Do they act like they should be there? Do they actively speak up? Inquire, ask questions others don’t ask? Do they make constructive suggestions? Do they speak with empathy, optimism and encouragement? Do they praise and amplify others? As well as hold others to account?
- EQ – Emotional Intelligence – do they have strong emotional intelligence? Industry, technical expertise, financial knowledge, personal charisma. Are they self-aware, do they exercise discipline consistently, do they take full responsibility without excuse? Are they aware of the feelings and circumstances of others? Who is the person people usually go to for help and assistance? Who does the team already respect and trust?
- Loyalty – Are they a Patriotic or a Mercenary? Are they doing a short tour of duty or are they a careerist? You are investing an enormous amount of time and training costs into them. You are bestowing responsibility, power and knowledge on them. If they leave early the business takes a big hit – financially, emotionally and culturally. So you want the right people to stay long term.
Yes SELECTION is critical to building a formidable team. There are many circumstances when you just need to someone – anyone with suitable skills to allow the business to operate. This is the weakness in our employment process. However we need to work towards a situation where we take the time to find the best people to fill our important leadership positions – for culture, team health, loyalty and productivity – are all linked to the standard of leadership we have.
Do your best to ensure you have the best leaders in the right places – then slowly the best and right people for other positions will be lured by your high standard of Leaders. People want to be happy winners.
