Have you identified the emerging
leaders in your organization? If you
assume that the next in line for a top position is the logical employee for
your succession plans, you may be
selecting the wrong person, according to
Anne Hach, the executive director of
training and development at Cleveland-based Corporate College.
“Business owners hurt themselves
twice when they simply move technically competent employees up to leadership roles without preparing them,”
Hach says. “Once by removing good
employees from jobs they performed
well, and again when the employees step
into the new role, which they can’t do
adequately because they have not been
properly trained.”
Smart Business spoke with Hach
about the importance of identifying and
training emerging leaders in order to create a seamless transition when succession occurs.
How can business owners successfully
identify emerging leaders?
Those companies that successfully
identify leaders understand what qualities they need in a leader. Some leadership competencies are universal, such as
communication skills, good self-control,
delegation skills and decision-making
abilities. However, depending on the
organization — and the industry — other
competencies will be needed. It all
depends on the culture and mission of a
business. For example, in the information-technology-centered organization, a
leader not only needs basic competencies but also strong creative thinking
and innovation skills.
If leaders are not readily apparent, what
can a business owner do to cultivate leaders in the company?
You need to design your business culture so that there are opportunities for emerging leaders to shine. For example,
there are companies that keep decision-making high up on the corporate ladder,
leaving little opportunity for those further down the ladder to hone their leadership abilities.
Leaders can also be found among managers who are excelling in their roles or
among employees who have been recognized for technical competence and
show pronounced leadership abilities —
as witnessed in meetings, projects or
other areas.
Once emerging leaders are identified, what
are the next steps?
You need to train these emerging leaders on an ongoing basis. This kind of
training can be done through formal or
informal programs. Employees can participate in training sessions or work with
in-house mentors or coaches. The training needs to strengthen the core leadership skills, plus any other leadership
skills you have identified that are important to the business.
What can happen if a business does not
identify and adequately train emerging
leaders?
This kind of succession planning — at
all levels of management — is critical for
sustained growth of a company. Without
it, what usually happens when a current
leader retires or leaves the company is
that the warm body most readily at hand
— usually the next in line for the job —
is promoted without much thought or
preparation.
This is a strain for the company since it
leaves a gaping hole in the employee’s
former position until a new employee
gets up to speed. Plus, the promotion of
the individual is often from a technical
position to a leadership position — without proper training, an employee can
flounder in this new role, potentially
damaging the morale and performance
of other employees. This very common
business scenario can be avoided with
proper planning and preparation.
Could you summarize the steps necessary
to groom emerging leaders?
- Hire for talent, not position.
- Provide opportunities for informal
leadership at all levels of the company. - Create and implement a succession
plan for each position. - Define competencies of successful
leaders and provide training. - Provide mentoring and coaching for
emerging leaders.
ANNE HACH is the executive director of training and development at Corporate College (www.corporatecollege.com) based in
Cleveland, which offers employers custom-designed training
programs to enhance future work force development, job growth
and job retention in Northeast Ohio. Reach her at (440) 522-5072
or [email protected].
