Don’t Abandon your New Leaders

An interesting thing can happen to those who become leaders for the first time. Once in the new role, they may find themselves with little opportunity or time to learn how to be successful leaders. New leaders may discover that the skills they had mastered over the years to become a high performer do not necessarily translate into leading others to become high performers.   

This issue stems from a common objective in organizations to develop succession plans around top performers. The belief is that if you have an employee who is consistently a great performer, chances are he or she will also be a great leader.

However, it is one thing to be excellent at your job; it is a whole new ball game when it comes to being a successful leader. Why? It goes without saying that human beings are incredibly complex creatures.  Being able to create and lead a high performing team within an organization requires an incredible amount of unique skills that focus on the fundamentals of human behaviour.

We all know about the incredibly complex dynamics that develop in the workplace. I like to call them the good, the bad, and the ugly. Now imagine having to be responsible for understanding these complex dynamics and for molding the individuals involved into a high performance team. Such a challenge can be very rewarding. It is a fundamental reason why some people seek out leadership roles. On the flip side, these challenges can quickly become a nightmare for leaders who lack the skills or experience to navigate such organizational complexities.

This is why it is so important that you have some type of formal succession and/or leadership development plan in place for your potential leaders – regardless of the size of your business.

Here are five great options to include in your plans. Some will require a certain amount of funding, whereas others will cost nothing. Regardless, each requires a lot of upfront communication with your new leaders to ensure that they are the right fit for a new leader’s experience and situation.

1. Formal or informal mentorship
2. External/internal leadership training or development courses/programs
3. Leadership or managerial coaching with a certified coach
4. Weekly or monthly strategy discussion groups where leaders share great ideas and solutions with one another
5. Minimum monthly scheduled meetings with senior management to monitor progress and performance targets

Good luck!