Looking for your next organizational leader?

Today we are talking about helping identify leaders in your organization, and that can actually be a little bit tricky. Potential leaders are in so many different levels of growth, both in their personal life and professional life and when you're looking to find someone who is the next person you are going to develop, you might not be 100% sure of who to pick.

So, here is my advice. Don't pick your most popular person in your organization. Often times they're the most popular because... they're the most popular, not because they are the best leader in your organization or best up and coming leader. The person you want to look for is the person who raises their hand and says, "Hey, I'll take on that project" or "Yes. I would love to learn more and figure out how to make the system work better" or "We have a problem, I'll take care of it. No problem". They also know how to connect with and build relationships with people.

If you're looking for individuals who do that on a regular basis, you are going to find people who you can develop and help to grow. So, quick tip. When you see that person, who's always raising their hand and actually getting things done when they volunteer, start giving them potential projects that can help increase their level in the organization. Helping raise their visibility level meaning that people can see that they're accomplishing things and they are doing it in a way that you are endorsing because you're the one that's helping support them.

Support is critical in developing new leaders in your organization. We all know, who have been practicing leadership for a long time, that it is hard sometimes to be the leader and it's hard to make tough decisions. So when we're trying to develop someone, supporting them in that, can really go a long way. Just ask, "Hey, how's it going?" and then listening to them tell you that, "Oh I'm not really sure about this because so and so said this" and then you can give them advice on, "Hey, when you talk to someone this is what you need to say". That's it.

So, when you're looking in your organization, look for the person who's already raising their hand, who's already taking the initiative because chances are they are your next leader. They just may need some polishing.

#LeadershipDevelopment #ThePeopleSideofBusiness