Keep an Eye Out for the Next Great Leader in Your Workplace

By Jezabel Southard

Posted on October 20, 2017

A note with the words leader and follower is pinned to a board. The word leader is checked off. Looking for leader potential among your current staff is one of the easiest and most effective tools managers have for cultivating talent and promoting the continued growth of their companies. But it’s one of the most overlooked.

Why Look for Leaders?

The number-one reason managers neglect to seek out their next potential leader is that the short-term effort appears to outweigh the long-term benefit. You don’t need a leader now, and your staff seems happy where they are. You’ve got enough on your plate as it is. Why worry about it?

Here’s why some short-term effort is worth the long-term payoff:

  • You can cultivate leadership over a longer period, allowing more time to correct and improve upon weaknesses and build strengths.
  • Your staff realizes that you’re always looking for leadership, so they demonstrate initiative, communication, and other leadership skills earlier and more consistently.
  • You’re never caught by surprise when a leading team member leaves and you need someone to fill the position—now!
  • You gain an opportunity to develop your own leadership and mentorship skills by cultivating your next leaders. And if they resign, you still have a strong professional contact built through that mentorship relationship.

How Your Next Big Leader Can Help You Lead, Too

Identifying likely leadership candidates is only the first step. The next step is to work with them to develop their leadership skills.

Encourage potential leaders to become “peer leaders,” stepping up among their team members. This may mean heading up a project, helping a new hire, or simply agreeing to take on tasks like managing communication among the team.

By working with someone else to develop their leadership potential, you improve your own leadership skills by:

  • Prioritizing the essential abilities required of leaders in your organization.
  • Articulating these points, and the ways in which they promote your organization’s vision, so that you and others understand them clearly.
  • Communicating with team members in more effective ways.
  • Practicing delegating tasks and providing constructive feedback.

How TERRA Can Help You

At TERRA Staffing, our recruiters can help you find great candidates with the leadership potential your organization needs to sustain its continued growth.

Find one our branches today to learn more about our recruiting services.

Categories: Employee Development

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