When a company’s growth depends on efficient management teams, identifying techniques for nurturing emerging leaders them is a must. Many businesses believe the best way to do this is by turning employees into leaders themselves. However, this approach can have a significant downside—if the leadership development strategy isn’t well-executed, it may cause employees to leave and find other employment opportunities.
How do you nurture leaders?
The key is to nurture the future leaders in your organization so they can become confident, successful and productive members of your team. Whether your goal is to develop new leadership at the senior level or lower, there are several techniques you can use to cultivate your emerging leaders into the effective management teams of the future.
One way to do this is to create mentoring programs that pair up seasoned leaders with junior associates or young managers. These mentoring relationships can help to expose the emerging leader to a wider range of business perspectives, and provide them with the tools they need to excel in their own career path.
Another technique is to give your emerging leaders stretch assignments that push them outside of their comfort zone and require them to use their problem-solving skills. This helps to strengthen their commitment to your organization and also reveals what they are made of under pressure.
A third technique is to foster an environment where your emerging leaders can share their experiences and expertise with others in a low-stress environment. For example, a networking dinner at a conference or an after-work event organized by an Emerging Leaders chapter can allow an up-and-coming process engineer to talk with an industry expert without the intimidating social pressures of face-to-face interactions.