Do your employees have the leadership skills it takes to lead your company into the next stage of its successful future? When it comes to leadership development, there’s always hope ahead. In this article we’ll share some insight on how to develop leadership skills in employees and in the workplace.
Contrary to popular belief, leadership skills aren’t something you’re born with. A talent for leadership can be learned and honed over time.
Excellent business leadership takes a strong leadership development strategy plus the right resources to support and educate your staff. Here’s what your company needs to know about how to develop leadership skills within its workforce.
5 Ways to Develop Leadership Skills in Employees
- Customize and Personalize Your Leadership Development Plan
- Work With an Experienced Leadership Coach
- Incorporate Emotional Intelligence Development
- Establish Succession and Engagement Programs
- Partner With Leadership Development Experts
Customize and Personalize Your Leadership Development Plan
One of the first things you should know about leadership development is that it isn’t a one-size-fits-all plan. What works for your business isn’t necessarily the same as what works for another company.
Every organization must take a thoughtful approach to leadership development that accounts for its specific goals, strengths, resources, and culture. Ask questions that reveal what your company needs from a leadership skill-building program.
- What kinds of leadership styles do you already have?
- What types of skills/deficits are present in your leadership staff?
- Which new company goals require additional leadership skills?
- How does your organization currently build leadership skills? Is it working?
- Does your company culture support effective leadership and team-building?
- What changes are on the horizon that could impact your needs for future leadership?
Answering these questions builds an understanding of how to tailor leadership development for your company. This is a major step in strategic planning for greater productivity, profitability, and growth.
Work With an Experienced Leadership Coach
The world’s greatest teams have great coaches. Have you considered working with a leadership coach on how to develop leadership skills your company needs for continued success?
Effective leadership coaching expands a company’s capacity for productive problem-solving. Whenever someone faces a tough challenge, they can turn to the coach for individualized advice and support.
One of the biggest benefits of working with a leadership coach comes from partnering to establish an understanding of the company’s strategic planning background. This sets the stage for focused, customized coaching that helps employees at all levels accomplish clear company goals.
Incorporate Emotional Intelligence Development
Leaders are more likely to build effective teams when they display emotional intelligence (EQ). High EQ indicates a capacity to understand interpersonal interactions and make savvy judgments about how to adjust to changing circumstances.
Just like leadership, emotional intelligence is a skill almost anyone can learn. Both your company’s emerging and established leaders could benefit from learning the basics of building EQ in the workplace through leadership development.
The effort is well worth it. Research shows that 9 out of 10 top performers have high EQ, and up to 60% of leadership performance is related to emotional intelligence.
Establish Succession and Engagement Programs
It’s always a shame when a great company loses great leaders. When a talented leader submits their resignation, take this as an opportunity to reflect on your organization’s retention, satisfaction, and engagement strategies. What is your company doing to retain its top performers? Do your leaders feel satisfied with their jobs?
This is also where employee engagement comes in. Every company needs a strong engagement strategy that ensures its staff isn’t on the edge of abandoning ship at any moment. To learn more about engagement, take a look at our related article, “4 Secrets to Employee Engagement and Retention.”
Your company’s succession planning strategy goes hand-in-hand with its engagement strategy. A succession plan establishes which roles are key to the company’s future, then allocates resources to retaining outstanding leaders. As part of the plan, they receive extensive leadership development training that supports their continued success.
Partner With Leadership Development Experts
Now that you know more about how to develop leadership skills among your employees, it’s time to decide how to make it happen. More specifically, you must determine who can help your company’s leaders develop the superior leadership skills they need to succeed. It’s time for a partnership with the pros.
Experts recommend using robust leadership development programs with trained leadership professionals instead of traditional training programs that aren’t customized or individualized. Your employees deserve a well-rounded program that offers a high level of support.
Leadership Resources provides a comprehensive approach that nurtures your employees along the path to leadership development. To learn more, please take a look at our Accelerate Leadership Program brochure.
