Finding & Developing Leaders 3 minute read Writen by: Psychometrics Are leaders born or made? It turns out, it’s both. For organizations to meet their leadership needs they need to do two things. One – find people who have leadership potential. Two – develop these individuals to their full potential. This matters because finding and developing great leaders results in great organizations. The leadership consulting firm Zegner Folkman found that in every study they conducted there was a strong correlation between every dimension of organizational effectiveness and leaders’ effectiveness. The following resources provide guidance on how you can build effective succession plans, assess leadership potential, target key leadership skills and create impactful leadership development programs. Succession Planning Most organizations do not have an established process for identifying and developing high potential employees, especially for roles outside of the c-suite. As a result, 75% of organizations struggle to retain high potential employees who could become their future leaders. Better succession planning is required. Best practices in Succession Planning 3 common mistakes organizations make in succession planning Assessing Leadership Potential Identifying future leaders often relies on performance reviews and supervisor recommendations – which tilts the field toward employees who are currently seen as high performers. The problem is that research shows only 30% of employees rated as high performers actually have high-potential. Resolving this issue requires a shift from assessing performance to assessing potential – and that means you need to measure different things. Identifying Potential Leaders in your Organization: What do they look like? Leadership Potential: Industry trends and how can we improve? Key Leadership Skills Today’s leaders need to manage complex environments and develop high performing teams if they are to drive organizational success. This requires skills that are different from an individual contributor, such as strategic thinking, driving change, and engaging teams. The Top 5 Leadership Skills for 2023 Best leader, worst leader Fostering Psychological Safety Leadership Qualities Leadership Development Being identified as someone with potential for future leadership roles is not enough for them to succeed. To develop their potential, future leaders require experiences that allow them to use and refine new skills, while receiving the appropriate support and feedback to keep them on the right track. Typically, senior leaders receive much of an organization’s leadership development resources while ignoring the vast pool of leadership talent operating at the frontlines. 4 Key Pillars of Effective Leadership Development The Importance of Developing Frontline Leaders Self-awareness – Where Leadership Development Starts The 3 Pillars of a Successful 360 Assessment Program Start building your leadership pipeline by understanding individual’s strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities to close the gap. Our research-based talent assessments can help identify potential leaders and provide feedback for development. Contact us and take the lead in transforming your organization today.
