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The success of a business lies in the hands of its leaders. The culture of a business is first established in the workplace, and leaders set the tone. Businesses will crumble under leaders with unattainable goals, a lack of vision, broken communication or big egos. When you have the right leaders, businesses will soar. With so much on the line, it is critical to be able to identify top leaders.
While you can always hire an external candidate to lead your team, developing your current employees into your business leaders of tomorrow is wise. Here are five steps to identify a true leader in your organization.
Before deciding if someone is fit for a leadership role, you must determine what you want in a leader. You need to know what characteristics and work ethic you want your company leaders to have. From that point, you can begin to observe which of those qualities you see in the workplace and seek out potential leaders. [Read related article: Popular Management Theories Decoded]
True leaders are the ones driving results. They intentionally learn more, challenge themselves and others, improve the workplace environment and work ethics, and encourage teams to achieve goals.
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One of the most accurate ways to test a person’s leadership skills is to put them in a leadership role. This could include mentoring and coaching, or even allowing them to experience a higher position. Having them try new experiences in different roles allows you to gauge how they go about learning, if they have a growth mindset, and whether they do well under pressure and with additional responsibilities.
True leaders seek to improve themselves and their work ethics. They accept challenges as opportunities to grow, and are eager to learn new skills.
The people who have worked side by side with potential leaders will have great insights into their skills and impact on the business. Interviewing co-workers gives you additional feedback on whether an employee has the personality and leadership style you’re looking for.
Interviewing previous managers or mentors of potential leaders also helps determine whether this person is a good leader. They are in a unique position because not only do they have leadership experience, but they also have experience with the potential leader.
Assessment tools vary in terms of what they examine and the depth of the questions they ask. You can choose from personality, leadership skills and behavioral assessments. Before you decide on a tool, ensure it will test for the specific skills you want in a leader.
Here are a few assessment tools you can use:
One of the most essential qualities a leader can have is emotional intelligence. At its heart, emotional intelligence is a person’s ability to authentically be themselves and put their character on full display. This helps them address emotionally charged matters at work. While it might be easier to ignore the drama, doing so can lead to future problems.
People with high emotional intelligence are highly self-aware and intrinsically motivated to do the right thing. They can carefully assess a situation from all sides, and then clearly communicate their feelings or points in a calm and collected manner. These traits are essential for leadership, as they can help with people management and conflict resolution.
Here are some leadership skills you should keep testing for in yourself and your employees and candidates.
In today’s era of increased hybrid and remote work, ensuring leaders have strong communication skills is more critical than ever. Leaders need to make sure their message can get across to someone who isn’t necessarily working right down the hall.
Although you want your company leaders to possess these traits, it’s important not to immediately write a potential leader off if they are lacking in one or two areas. Instead, look for ways to help that employee grow and develop their weaker skills. Empowering your employees to grow with your organization is a great way to build your company’s future leaders.
Additionally, an important part of identifying and developing leaders is to create a plan for employee progression within your business. Succession planning ensures a smooth transition when your current leaders are ready to retire or move on.
Skye Schooley contributed to this article.