Leadership Development: How can companies hire and train future leaders? Here are steps companies can take to strengthen company leadership for the long term.
The Four Steps to Creating Future Leaders
Creating future leaders is critical to the long-term growth of a company. ~ www.jaywren.com
- Hire for leadership
- Establish Authority & Responsibility
- Teach for leadership
- Increase Responsibility
1. Hire for Leadership.
People in any organizations have specific levels of responsibility. Some of those people will stay in same job for which the company hires them.
Other people come into a company as developmental candidates. These people may start in entry-level jobs. However, the company has a plan to move these people into bigger roles. Their responsibilities increase as they master each job.
2. Establish Authority, Responsibility, and Accountability.
For new leaders to become successful, they must know their authority.
They must know what they can do. Additionally, they must know when to notify their supervisors.
Furthermore, they must know their responsibilities. Knowing the boundaries of their responsibilities makes them more engaged and focused.
Lastly, future leaders must learn accountability. They are not only accountability for their own mistakes. They are accountable for the mistakes of the people under them.
Accountability in itself is a great teacher. ~ www.jaywren.com
3. Teach for Leadership.
Authoritative leaders criticize. They control the people who work for them.
Ordering people around teaches them the things what not to do.
However, future leaders must learn more than what not to do. Mentoring leadership builds confidence and skills in future leaders. Without this mentoring, a company is not creating future leaders. It is creating people who follow orders.
4. Increase Responsibility.
For leaders to continue to grow, their responsibility must increase. Companies promote new leaders into bigger positions. These positions have a higher pay grade. Additionally, they have the greater responsibility.
However, companies cannot always promote leaders. But they must keep the leaders growing and engaged.
What companies can do is relieve experienced future leaders of bottom rung responsibilities. At the same time, companies can give them responsibilities that will prepare them for greater responsibility.