DEVELOP FUTURE LEADERS
WHY IT MATTERS
At some point, every leader will move on and leave the future success of the organization to the next generation. They will entrust their legacy to the hands of others. It is the role of leaders to ensure that the next generation is identified, developed and prepared to assume their leadership roles when they are needed. Leaders that identify and develop future leaders put the organization in a position to succeed long after they are gone. They ensure the organization doesn’t fall hostage to unanticipated leadership changeover. Leaders that fail to identify and develop future leaders carelessly turn the organization’s future over to chance, as they are required to gamble on leaders that are unproven or underprepared.
WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE
Leaders who invest time in the development of future leaders consider the long-term view of the organization. They know that leadership is a key to sustained success, so they believe identifying and developing future leaders is a pressing priority. Because they know the only thing more important than having strong leadership today is having it tomorrow, they are passionate about the challenge of preparing future leaders for future success.
Leaders that develop future leaders care about the legacy they will leave behind. They want their legacy to be about more than just results. They know the most impactful legacy they can leave will be people who have grown in capacity and confidence. They want their legacy to include the people who will successfully carry the work forward.
Leaders that develop future leaders know what it takes to be successful and what type of leadership the organization requires for its future. They create succinct but comprehensive leadership profiles that identify in detail the skills, behavior, knowledge, and characteristics that their future leaders need to learn and master.
Leaders that develop future leaders put in place a strategy and process to assess them. They create assessments that measure leadership potential, predict leadership performance, and evaluate leadership readiness. They invest as much in answering the questions about who their future leaders will be as they do in answering the questions about how they will develop them. They approach the task of identifying their future leaders as methodically and with as little bias as possible.
Leaders that develop future leaders invest in formal leadership development programs. They do more than just sit their future leaders in classes. They evaluate the jobs that promote the greatest growth opportunities and systematically rotate them through those positions. They assign them projects and assignments that challenge their skills. They identify model leaders in the organization to act as mentors and coaches. They create forums through which future leaders can test ideas and collaborate. They design methods through which the knowledge of current leadership can be captured and passed on.
Leaders that develop future leaders teach others the importance of identifying and building the next generation. They reward those leaders who do, and hold those accountable who do not. They make the expectation clear that the role of leaders is to build other leaders.
BELIEFS
SELF-REFLECTION
WORDS OF CAUTION
PSYCHOMETRIC 360 QUESTIONS
At some point, every leader will move on and leave the future success of the organization to the next generation. They will entrust their legacy to the hands of others. It is the role of leaders to ensure that the next generation is identified, developed and prepared to assume their leadership roles when they are needed. Leaders that identify and develop future leaders put the organization in a position to succeed long after they are gone. They ensure the organization doesn’t fall hostage to unanticipated leadership changeover. Leaders that fail to identify and develop future leaders carelessly turn the organization’s future over to chance, as they are required to gamble on leaders that are unproven or underprepared.
WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE
Leaders who invest time in the development of future leaders consider the long-term view of the organization. They know that leadership is a key to sustained success, so they believe identifying and developing future leaders is a pressing priority. Because they know the only thing more important than having strong leadership today is having it tomorrow, they are passionate about the challenge of preparing future leaders for future success.
Leaders that develop future leaders care about the legacy they will leave behind. They want their legacy to be about more than just results. They know the most impactful legacy they can leave will be people who have grown in capacity and confidence. They want their legacy to include the people who will successfully carry the work forward.
Leaders that develop future leaders know what it takes to be successful and what type of leadership the organization requires for its future. They create succinct but comprehensive leadership profiles that identify in detail the skills, behavior, knowledge, and characteristics that their future leaders need to learn and master.
Leaders that develop future leaders put in place a strategy and process to assess them. They create assessments that measure leadership potential, predict leadership performance, and evaluate leadership readiness. They invest as much in answering the questions about who their future leaders will be as they do in answering the questions about how they will develop them. They approach the task of identifying their future leaders as methodically and with as little bias as possible.
Leaders that develop future leaders invest in formal leadership development programs. They do more than just sit their future leaders in classes. They evaluate the jobs that promote the greatest growth opportunities and systematically rotate them through those positions. They assign them projects and assignments that challenge their skills. They identify model leaders in the organization to act as mentors and coaches. They create forums through which future leaders can test ideas and collaborate. They design methods through which the knowledge of current leadership can be captured and passed on.
Leaders that develop future leaders teach others the importance of identifying and building the next generation. They reward those leaders who do, and hold those accountable who do not. They make the expectation clear that the role of leaders is to build other leaders.
BELIEFS
- The most important legacy you will leave your organization is the achievements of those you leave behind.
- If you don’t develop the coming generation of leaders you limit your future as an organization.
- It is the future leaders who will carry the work of the organization into the future, so be sure to know who they are and help them.
- You can’t build the coming generation of leaders without a clear definition of what those leaders need to know and be.
- Developing future leaders does not happen by putting them in classes, their development requires real experiences with real life.
- The only thing more important than developing future leaders is making sure you have chosen the right leaders to develop.
- You know you have found a real leader when you have found someone who knows how to build other leaders.
- You can’t develop future leaders by accident or chance. You have to invest in formal leadership development processes.
- Identify who the up and coming leaders are.
- Select leaders for their long-term potential.
- Know what a leader needs to be and know.
- Recruit future leaders into the organization.
- Take time to teach the next generation.
- Build programs to grow high potential leaders.
- Give future leaders the opportunities they need.
- Invest in knowing who to invest in.
- Create and reviews succession plans often.
- Hold others accountable for developing leaders.
- Focus HR processes on building future leaders.
- Promote coaching and mentoring opportunities.
- Ensure future leaders have development plans.
- Specify where future leaders need to focus.
- Ask leaders to prepare their replacement.
- Want to leave a legacy as a leader builder.
- Give future leaders challenging work.
- See growing leaders as a personal responsibility.
- Monitor the strength of your leadership pipeline.
- Keep future leaders from leaving the organization.
- Invest in future leader identification.
- Take time to mentor your future leaders.
SELF-REFLECTION
- Do I think identifying and developing future leaders needs to be a key priority, or do I feel its importance is minimal
- Do I personally participate in developing future leaders, or do I leave the work to someone else to do?
- Do I define what type of leadership will be required in the future, or do I not know what our future leaders need to be?
- Do I give future leaders the experiences they need to grow, or do I hold back experiences that provide growth?
- Do I have a strong assessment strategy for identifying future leaders, or do I choose them based on instinct alone?
- Do I have formal development programs to grow and stretch future leaders, or do I leave their development to chance?
- Do I focus on the long-term importance of preparing future leaders, or do I get too caught up in the worries of today?
- Do I feel confident the organization has the leaders it needs for the future, or do I wonder if the next generation is ready?
WORDS OF CAUTION
- Don’t create a culture of “have’s” and “have not’s,” or those who will be the future leaders and those who will not.
- Don’t set false expectations by making future leaders feel their future promotion is guaranteed.
- Don’t be so rigid that you don’t consider someone for a critical role just because they aren’t in your poll of future leaders.
PSYCHOMETRIC 360 QUESTIONS
- I have a people plan for the next 10 years.
- I am positive this organization has the leaders it needs to be successful in the future.
- I make special efforts to mentor the next generation of leaders.
- I have a formal plan or assessment to identify future leaders.
- I never hesitate to share what I know.
- I have to make sure there is someone who can take my place.