How do you identify and develop your future leaders?
There is so much to unpack in this question. Let’s explore.
- Future
Let’s start with thinking about the future.
What does “the future” mean for your organization? Is it time based, or event based? Is the event internal or external? How does that future inform your vision and business strategy? How can your future thinking influence your current business?
Best performing companies we have seen think about their future carefully and they connect it with the present in such a way that both their future AND current performance hit the mark. They develop their “perform” strategies and their “transform” strategies and define organizational capabilities and culture required to execute them. Their vision is clear, their strategies are based on choices and priorities, and their action plan is firm and agile.
- Future leader
Who are your future leaders? Are those your high potentials who are planned to take the ranks when time comes? What about your current leaders, are they your future leaders too? What knowledge, experiences, skills and mindsets they all need to be successful in the future?
Everybody needs to prepare for the future. They just need to develop in different things and in different ways. One thing is common, they collectively develop themselves against the organizational capabilities and culture required to execute your perform and transform strategies. This requires a sharp translation of those organizational capabilities and culture to a set of capabilities your leaders should have in different roles in the organization. Everybody knows what is expected of them.
- Identify
How do you know that you are investing into the right people for the right challenges?
Simply put, you assess. With transparency and open mind, you engage with the full person; you explore all experiences, competencies, traits, drivers and agility the leader brings. You assess how these match with the future leader requirements and how they can be stretched. As a result, everybody knows which talents they can tap into, and they are motivated to do so.
- Develop
Do all leaders develop all in the same way? (You guessed; the answer is no.) What is the multiplier effect you can strike by facilitating the right learning and collaboration culture?
Each leader has their own leadership journey. And the journey never ends. With curiosity, they keep learning how to optimize their strengths and develop and manage the areas where they never will be at the of of the class. They increase their self-awareness, tap into their purpose and unused talents and acquire new knowledge. They learn how to complement and support each other. Everybody progresses.
- (Bonus point) Impact beyond your organization
More and more we realize the significance of organizations operating in an eco-system. How ever you define your eco-system, you can influence how leadership creates impact beyond your organization. Your leaders can, and should, lead beyond your organization. They become leaders in your eco-system by advancing the global agenda, driving innovation in the industry, being a role model to others.
You are the CEO, CHRO or any enterprise leader. How do you do all this?
The same way you do business. You create your vision and strategy, and you execute your plan with diligence, commitment and agility.
How do YOU identify and develop your future leaders?