Workmatters Tips
Fill Your Leadership Pipeline
No matter how strong your organization, its real strength lies in its future leaders. "Where are they?" you may be wondering. Some potential leaders will naturally emerge, but others need some encouraging. Some you'll need to hire.
Aside from your many leadership responsibilities, one of the most important, and often overlooked, is developing other leaders. Effective leadership development is one of the best practices to building a leadership pipeline that won't leak.
Here are some ways to help you build your own leadership pipeline:
* Identify existing leadership talent.
Seek out those natural leaders who demonstrate strong potential. They include those who show initiative, appear engaged in their work, contribute solutions, work well on a team and are optimistic about the future.
* Hire for leadership potential.
Be more selective about bringing new people on board. Make sure they have the skills, capabilities and attitudes to lead. Improve your hiring process. Project the future. What needs will your organization have three to five years from now?
* Provide leadership opportunity earlier.
Give potential leaders the opportunity to prove themselves earlier in their career. Assign a project that lets them shine, or invite them to take charge of an initiative on their own. Set high expectations.
* Get out of the way.
Don't be the clog in the pipeline by trying to do too much yourself. Let go of some leadership responsibilities yourself so other people can step up. Identify at least one area of responsibility that another willing leader can handle.
If you don't fill your pipeline now, you'll pay the price later. Make filling your leadership pipeline a priority.
Growing leaders grows your business.
© 2008 - Gayle Lantz All Rights Reserved
 Workmatters Tips are published periodically by WorkMatters®. They are designed to help you make the most of your work.
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