Developing future leaders is crucial for continued success, but where do you begin?
Start with Personalized Development Plans
The first step in developing future leaders is to invest in personalised development plans that recognise and build on each individual’s unique strengths. It’s still all too common to focus on where they’re weak and attend to that first. Or go for a quick sheep dip, sausage machine approach to skills development.
Personalisation is key. Every potential leader has a unique blend of skills and experiences. The more you can tailor development programs to align with their personal strengths, career aspirations, and learning styles, the greater the results and ROI. This might mean one-on-one coaching sessions for some or group workshops for others, depending on what resonates best with them.
Offer Real-World Challenges
You may not know this about me, but I sing in a ladies’ choir. And there’s nothing quite like the thrill of a live performance, and the same goes for leadership development. As a choir, if we were just practicing but never planned to perform then the quality of the singing is irrelevant. When developing leaders, the more you can incorporate practising on real-world challenges, you’re giving emerging leaders a stage to apply what they’ve learned in a safe yet impactful environment. These opportunities should encourage them to think critically, experiment, and build their confidence. This results in them being more inclined to keep it going back “in the office”.
Want to stretch their growth further? Then develop challenges that are diverse and progressively more difficult. This might involve leading a small project team, managing a cross-departmental initiative, or even presenting to the executive board.
Continuous Feedback
To speed up results you need to be providing continuous, constructive feedback. It’s not just about correction—it’s about growth and improvement, helping each leader to refine their skills and adjust their performance as needed.
Create a culture where feedback flows freely in a 360 way. Encourage mentors, peers and team members to provide regular, honest input that helps each emerging leader know what’s been appreciated and where adjustments could be made.
The Journey Toward Leadership Excellence
Expectation management is also important. The development of future leaders is not a one-time event but a continuous journey. Foster an environment of ongoing learning and development. Encourage leaders to seek out new experiences, learn new skills, and continuously improve upon their existing ones. As a choir we’ve adapted our style over time, learning what we enjoy performing and what songs both challenge us and allow us to demonstrate our strengths. So too leaders need to adapt their strategies and approaches as they grow.
If you’re looking to develop your future leadership talent pool, then here is some inspiration.