Most leaders value employees who step up to the plate, especially those who do so of their own accord. That initiative can take the pressure off senior managers, freeing them to attend to matters that require their direct involvement. Despite recognizing this fact, far too few leaders invest in, encourage or nurture employees to be leaders in their own right.
Would your team benefit from empowering employees to become leaders? Here is how you can do exactly that to create a stronger and more resilient organization.
Networking
No matter how old the truism “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know” gets, it always rings true. Steer your people towards networking and actively connect them to individuals that you know will have a positive impact on them.
Networking helps develop leadership by exposing people to what both good and bad leadership look like, up close. Relationships built during the networking process, everywhere from company and industry events to meetings at casual non-industry events can be the foundation of good leadership.
Your team also stands to benefit from the soft skills that they will learn from interacting with a diverse group of people. Those skills are invaluable when managing any team.
Mentorship
Mentoring is perhaps even more effective than networking when it comes to exposing the mentee to positive leadership traits. In the same way that books on leadership can lay down a path for the reader, close proximity and interaction with you (or a trusted associate) inculcates the mentee with leadership strategies that work in the real world.
When you mentor someone, you showcase your personal brand of leadership to them in a dynamic way. They can see and learn for themselves how you tweak interactions, words and actions to suit the person and the situation. That tactful finesse allows good leaders to rally the troops when the chips are down, a trait that you definitely want in your team.
Ownership
Another maxim enduringly relevant to workplace leadership is, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” There is no real leadership manual. Some business school postgraduates struggle with leading teams while others with no training manage people with ease.
The best way to find leaders (and to let them discover themselves) is to delegate responsibility to members of your team. That does not have to involve a formal project but can begin with encouraging them to take ownership at a personal level. Elicit participation and solicit their opinions. Follow that up with progressively more significant tasks as they build confidence.
Leaders are responsible for the next generation of leaders. Reach out to learn how I can help you help your team take the next step toward excellent leadership.
