A friend gave me an Amaryllis as a gift. Ever watch one grow? Incredible changes happen overnight. It requires only water in a bowl and filtered light. No dirt, no fertilizer, no words of encouragement. Amazing results with little effort. If only growing leaders was this easy.
Potential future leaders need basic elements to grow. Nothing fancy really. Just the basics….like the amaryllis.
Water – feeding the thirst of ambition, self esteem and self respect. Supervisors and mentors feed this thirst by recognizing potential talent for leadership, acknowledging the ambition and need for growth, meeting that need with the time and effort developing another person requires. Focusing the time and resources on the developing leader by providing meaningful stretch assignments and delegating tasks and opportunities to practice authoritative roles with teams on projects.
Fertilizer – delivering specific and frequent feedback to foster appropriate leadership behaviors and skill development. Feedback is critical to anyone seeking to develop themselves. The source of the feedback is also important. Certainly the boss needs to provide it but it should come from multiple sources including those in a peripheral position, those that may be observers and who may be a mentor to the individual. Providing a professional coach is another source of vital feedback. Each source of feedback provides a unique point of view. Each point of view provides useful insight into how well the individual may perform in a leadership role.
Light – providing the visible opportunities to practice new skills. This is usually the most difficult aspect of developing others…..most leaders are not comfortable with delegation. But delegating projects is essential to developing future leaders. Just observing (looking over someone’s shoulder) is not enough. Expect someone to act like a leader, take on responsibilities of leadership and practice how the mantel fits on their shoulders.
Are you giving your potential future leaders the water, fertilizer and light they need to grow?
