Seeing the value of others is a trait shared by exceptional leaders in all business units. Seeing the potential in others means also seeing the not-so-great parts — where people need support to achieve their career goals. Even the most promising future leaders can be let down by a lack of insight into their strengths. Here are some ideas that will help ensure that your organization’s next generation of leaders is actively training to be their best.
Supportive Leaders = Strong Teams
Every organization needs strong leaders: those individuals who are unafraid to take the reins of a new project and help drive it forward. However, those same leaders need to balance their “Here we go!” attitude with bringing along their teams to see long-term success for themselves and their organization.
Help upcoming leaders feel comfortable incorporating the ideas of others and slowing down (a little bit!) by offering yourself as a positive role model. When you continually lift up the benefits of solid teamwork, you are leading by example. Let your efforts show that teams who work well together will be more successful. Time focused on gaining the trust of your constituents will pay off when your colleagues are willing to take a chance and follow your lead over the long term.
Feeding the Hunger for Achievement
Directors and managers with extraordinary potential are often hungry for knowledge that will make them more effective leaders. There is no simple answer to what makes a great leader, but there are some traits they often share:
- Believers in solid team communication
- Advocate for and mentor their staff
- Meet personal goals
- Secure in their abilities
- Courageous in the face of adversity
- Relentlessly positive
- Lifelong learners
One question that lingers in our minds: are great leaders born or trained? There’s no right answer to this age-old question other than “It depends.” Many soft skills can be taught if the individual is willing to dive deep into their psyche with a clear and bright light. Coaching and leadership development activities are some of the best ways to bring self-awareness that results in personal learning and leadership growth.
Leadership training can be a key perk that’s offered as part of a job package to entice top performers to join or stay with the organization. Creating a positive culture in your organization begins with having engaged employees. When you show that you are willing to put the time and effort into mentoring your staff, you are proving that you are invested in their success.
The CliftonStrengths-based approach is focused on encouraging the growth of positive traits, allowing your staff to improve their overall performance. This commitment to their growth often leads to highly engaged employees. Hiring the best people for a position is only the first step. You then have to build their strengths and purpose and help leverage their engagement to help drive true change within your organization.
Crafting a Strategic Vision
The ability to create and share a strategic vision is a trait of leadership that can be honed over time. Millennials, in particular, are ready and eager to learn these technical skills required to create solid future leaders of the organization. Developing solid leaders should include several vital components:
- Technical training in the specific tools that are utilized throughout your organization
- Mentoring/coaching skills
- Learning how to provide one-on-one feedback to staff
- How to develop meaningful goals
Leaders should work with their coaches to create an individual development plan. This not only requires them to invest time in themselves but also helps them grow awareness of the process so they can guide others.
Creating Confident Leaders
Supporting leaders with ongoing coaching gives them the confidence to overcome potential pitfalls. There are many opportunities during the standard workweek when leaders can feel unsettled or off-balance. Political struggles, pressure from peers, or upheaval at home can all impact our ability to lead successfully.
Ongoing coaching helps leaders feel the confidence that they need to power through these challenges and continue to stay the course. Business leads can see that others are often suffering from similar problems — giving them the insight to work through issues that could otherwise be paralyzing.
The nature of the learning opportunity is one of the main ways that coaching is quite different from a simple training session. If you’re looking for a quick-fix solution that you can implement over a weekend, you’re on the wrong site! When you want to make a lasting change that will dramatically impact the remainder of your career and how you relate to others, you need to work with a certified coach. One-on-one coaching over a period of months allows behavioral changes to take root and real development to take hold.
Key Takeaways:
- Critical projects require managers who can work well with others.
- Leaders are often hungry for knowledge that will make them more effective. Managers love that an investment in lifelong learning creates engaged employees.
- Leadership development can help build strong strategic direction and vision casting.
- One-on-one coaching can help leaders feel more confident in their strengths and ability to make changes in your organization.
The best advice that you can offer to up-and-coming leaders is to invest in themselves. This includes everything from boosting their technical knowledge, to creating a more self-aware presence. Ongoing leadership development and coaching will help bring your leaders from good — to truly great.
Want to learn more about how my team-building and coaching opportunities in Seattle will provide your organization with a strategic advantage? Contact me today via email to chris@chrisgossard.com or give me a call anytime at 206-393-2392. I also offer a Meetup group in Seattle on a regular basis — check my LinkedIn profile for details.
