Often, employees get promoted to management positions because they have a high level of technical expertise, but this doesn’t necessarily mean they will be a good leader – someone who can inspire, motivate and keep others on track.
So how can you spot employees who will be good leaders and make sure you’re developing and promoting the right people?
- Communication
Communication is arguably one of the most critical leadership abilities. Whether it’s instructions for a task, providing feedback or constructive criticism, painting a vision for the future, or creating hype around an upcoming project, a leader needs to be able to adapt their communication style accordingly. So, look out for those employees who communicate clearly, effectively, kindly, and with enthusiasm.
- Consistent performance
It’s important not just to look at high performance, but also at reliable and consistent performance. Employees who are likely to be good leaders don’t just set goals, they achieve them and these are the people who will be able to keep a team on track. Setting, tracking, and measuring goal achievement in a tool like intelliHR will help you to easily visualise performance across employees and uncover who your most reliable workers are.
- Empathy
During COVID-19, many successful leaders like New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, were deemed so because of their empathy. Understanding and caring about others’ wellbeing, even when you haven’t been in their situation is vital to making them feel supported, listened to, and valuable, and is likely to lead to enhanced motivation, commitment and retention.
- Skills mapping
Another way to spot and develop leaders is through skills mapping. Some leadership roles might require specific technical skills, qualifications or licenses, and maybe some soft skills, too (like communication!). Skills mapping tools let you create a library of skills/qualifications and allocate them to roles and employees, helping you to visualise who has certain skills (and is a prime candidate for a manager role), who needs training and development and if/where there are gaps.
Want a people management platform that helps you identify leaders for today and nurture and grow leaders of tomorrow? Get in touch to see how intelliHR can work for your organisation.
