Power Up Today's Leaders

Between the economic uncertainty and many companies taking a proactive downsizing approach, it might be time to shift your focus from “tomorrow’s leaders” to today’s leaders.

Channeling your resources, tools, and budget to support today’s leaders can help power your business up for future growth and rebuilding.

Here are three tips to power up today’s leaders.

1. Define Leadership

The first step to identifying potential leaders and developing them into stronger ones is asking yourself what it takes to make a great leader. As with most things, “great leadership” does not have a universal definition. So what does being a great leader mean to YOU? Once you have outlined the characteristics, skill sets, and backgrounds you want your leaders to have, then you can seek out your leaders

2. Seek Out Hidden Leaders

Sometimes leaders can be hidden behind positions they’re comfortable in or even positions they prefer. One way to identify a leader might be to look at productivity. Do you have an employee that goes above and beyond on each project or task? Do they always provide quality work alongside a collaborative, communicative work environment? That employee could be a potential leader.

Another way to identify a leader could be by analyzing employee tenure and engagement. Who better to lead than someone who has been with your company for many years and enjoys what they do? You have a built-in brand ambassador perfect for promoting your brand internally and externally.

 3. Position Leaders to Succeed 

Once you’ve identified your leaders, the next step is providing them with the resources, tools, and mentorship to develop the skills they need to succeed. Resources might include educational webinars, professional certifications, continued education through formal academic programs, and access to industry-related forums. Tools could have anything from performance management to learning new software systems, like customer relationship management, content management systems, and communication technology.

The one-step senior leadership often neglects to provide managers with the same resources and tools to support their employees. Make sure you check in with your mid-level managers to see what they need to position their employees for success and develop them into future leaders, too.

Developing strong leaders takes time, effort, and resources that not all businesses can provide. Check out Namely's new eBook if you’re looking for strategies to strengthen leadership development.

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