How To Design A Great Leadership Development Program: Traits to Look For in Potential Leaders

You have your eye on a couple of people who you think have potential to be your next leaders. Now you need to carefully evaluate them against a few very important measures.

- Does the prospect seem to subscribe to the company's values? If the person's values don't coincide with the organization's, they probably aren't right for any leadership position. They may have potential but probably not in your organization.

- How does this person get along with his or her coworkers? No, being a leader doesn't mean being popular, but someone who doesn't have a relatively good rapport with their peers will probably have a hard time working with anyone.

- Is the person you're considering reliable and trustworthy. You're going to be placing more and more authority and responsibility in their hands. A lack of integrity or reliability will come back to you and can damage your effectiveness and reputation. Also, integrity is very difficult to fix and a problem in that area will probably always be a problem.

Once you think you have your potential leader pegged, you need to do a little testing to see if you have it right. Here are some tests you can do to help determine if a potential leader is really the right choice.

First, get to know as much as possible about the individual. What's their work record? Have there been problems with rules or policies in the past? Are they reliable? What are their strengths and weaknesses?

Second, carefully observe them on the job. Be inconspicuous about this as your presence can change behavior. Watch to see how they interact with others. Are they courteous with fellow workers and with their own boss? Human relationship skills are important and in general, people who can't get along with most of the people around them usually don't make very good leaders. Watch for the person who appears to carry a grudge. There may be a good reason and it might be something that can be resolved; but, it might also be a sign of someone who is never happy with anything.

Third, use a small task (a genuine requirement, not something made up) to give the potential leader a chance to show leadership. Don't expect an amazing transformation to happen at this point; just watch to see how they handle the situation. What you're really looking for at this point is how they attempt to accomplish the task.

One final thought on selecting new leaders. You will probably come across people who think they're the next great leader and want you to know it; but who you just don't feel have the kind of potential you're looking for. Don't string them on! I've seen leaders who will let a subordinate think they are in line for the next promotion and use that expectation to entice them to do all manner of difficult or unpleasant tasks. That's not fair and will just cause discontent in the end. Be honest and if they don't measure up to what you're looking for, tell them.

Where to Look for Potential Leaders

How do you select leaders? Do you have a particular method or procedure or is it just a matter of who catches your eye? Once you've established a leadership development program, the next step is to determine who your future leaders are. Remember, it's best to start by looking for new, first-level managers.

There are a couple of places to look for potential leaders. One is the informal groups that normally develop in any organization. You should recognize where these groups are and who seems to lead them. Though they have no formal leadership authority, these leaders are the ones people turn to for help or clarification. They may not consider themselves leaders, but when things need to be done, you'll find those informal leaders in the middle of it.

Another place to find potential leaders is among the workers who seem to accomplish more than their peers. This requires careful assessment on your part as sometimes it isn't easy to spot just who is making things work. But, chances are there are a couple of people who are the catalyst for success or are at least working hard to make things happen. These are the people you'll want to seriously evaluate.

There's a lot of talk about "natural born leaders." It's true that there are people who seem to have a natural tendency to lead. These people usually demonstrate personal charisma which attracts other people and they find it fairly easy to get other people to do things. If you have someone like that on your team you should certainly consider helping them progress. But be alert for two issues.

First, as I said, they usually have great charisma that helps them induce others to do things. Technically, that means they're leading, but that doesn't mean they are the type of person you need to lead in your organization. Second, while appearing to have an innate leadership skill, they may actually be bullies. The problem is, it's easy to see that charisma as just what you're looking for in a new leader. That thought can lead to a less complete evaluation. Certainly don't discount these people, but also don't give them any less scrutiny than you would anyone else.

Also, be careful of people who are just loud. They normally are the ones complaining about this policy or that assignment. You'll probably notice that when there's discontent, these people are in the middle of it, always ready to tell anyone who will listen that something is unfair. They seldom have any suggestions for improvement and seem to think their only purpose in life is to complain. To be fair, some of these people can be turned into good leaders, but doing so is hard.

On the other hand, always be on the lookout for the "diamond in the rough." Every so often you'll have someone on your team who, at first glance, doesn't seem to posses much leadership potential. But, as you observe them, you see a little spark of something, maybe a little leadership talent that is masked by a gruff or even unfriendly exterior. This person may come across as unpolished and perhaps a little coarse and while they may be more difficult to develop, the extra effort will produce a superior leader.

Start looking for potential leaders today!

Bob Mason is a speaker, trainer, and author of "Planning to Excel: Strategic Planning That Works." After 30 years of leadership experience he founded RLM Planning and Leadership to transform leadership by developing great leaders. Bob works with organizations that want to excel by training managers to lead and creating great strategic plans to keep leaders focused. See what he can do for you at http://www.planleadexcel.com.