It is hard to find capable leaders in this turbulent society full of sudden changes and risks. People who are willing to risk their careers for what they consider right are rare. It is necessary to identify their leadership potential and constantly develop it. The Fast Company website dealt with this issue and created six rules for an effective leadership development program:
1. Focus on the organizational context
Creating organizational rules based on different business guides is not the best idea. Theories can be good, but they must be adapted to the industry in which you operate. Then you can adapt them directly to the conditions of your organization. Remember that the roles of leadership and management should also be based upon strategic plans and objectives.
2. Unite company leadership and management
In many companies, you can find different structures, frameworks or manuals to assist employees in understanding the complexity of business processes and to develop skills beyond those that their current position entails. However, the hierarchical system in the organization can be incomprehensible or even intimidating. If you wish to create a framework of functions, you have to act in accordance with it; cooperate with teams, and create a single company language.
3. Convert theory into practice
Suggestions and explanations are certainly good orientation points. However, if you want to achieve the effective development of potential leaders, test their skills in a variety of practical situations. If they are put in a situation that is a completely new experience which they do not normally encounter in their day-to-day work, this is not an impediment.
4. Do not grow leaders
A competent leader cannot only be a retrained manager. This is a foolish idea about leadership training. Rather than trying to "produce" a company elite, focus instead on their identification and development. A true leader also needs a certain amount of freedom.
5. Let abilities develop
A good manager protects a nascent leader. However, leadership skills need time and space to sufficiently develop. Therefore, try to engage them in situations in which they can fully practice and continue to develop the various facets of their abilities.
6. Do not give them incentives
A true leader really wants to lead and does not need any incentives. He only needs permission to implement his ideas. Permission is becoming an incentive to allow leaders to think for themselves and synthesize new ideas in corporate culture. Nevertheless, it hardly ever happens in an organization that is rigidly dictated and controlled from above and is not open to innovative approaches.
If your organization focuses on leadership development, then it should use a single comprehensive and integrated approach. Do not confuse potential leaders with many different frameworks of development.
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