Six Ways to Build Strong Leaders

Leadership sets the tone of an organization. Strong leaders are responsible for cultivating company culture, motivating employees and helping to drive meaningful results. Negative or weak leadership leaves its mark too, however. It can lead to poor productivity, decreased innovation and a toxic working environment.

The traits of a strong leader have been well documented, but knowing these traits and cultivating them are two different matters. Especially for companies looking to prepare employees for leadership positions, knowing how to help develop these traits can be the difference between success and failure—not just within your management team, but for your entire organization.

Part of strong leadership is the ability to prepare others for their own leadership roles. When a company invests in developing and supporting high-quality managers, there is a measurable impact on the success and happiness of employees. Often, that influence is felt more acutely than the influence of the executive team, because a manager benefits from direct daily interactions with their staff. In the wake of workplace changes since the pandemic, managerial influence has taken on a more vital role in employee retention.

For example, an internal survey conducted by Salesforce uncovered that “employees once considered top executives their most-trusted source of company information, [however] that dynamic flipped during the pandemic. Now, employees rate their immediate supervisor as most important to understanding the organization and its priorities, above the executive team.” (Wall Street Journal)

Understanding the importance that good leaders have on employee morale and productivity, an organization should have a strategic approach to investing in the next generation of leadership. Here are six key considerations to include when evaluating and preparing employees to lead.

Find the right leaders

Believe it or not, most employees don’t want leadership responsibilities. According to CareerBuilder, only one-third of employees surveyed wanted to take on a management role. Reasons why vary, however, some individuals are content in their current roles, are more concerned with work/life balance or simply don’t believe they have the right skills or education to advance.

Understanding that it’s not the right path for every employee, even those who may exhibit strong leadership traits, is important to uncover those individuals who are ready, willing and able to take on more responsibility. For those who are ready, take the time to get to know them both personally and professionally. Invest in team-building exercises and encourage informal chats. As you better understand the personalities and skillsets of your team, it will be easier to pick out those who are good candidates for leadership.

Encourage networking

Networking is one of the quickest ways to build successful leadership skills. It requires learning to initiate conversations with people you may not know, seeking advice or help and building connections. It also opens the door to mutually beneficial relationships. It’s a great way for a future leader to begin to build a strong reputation and create confidence in their capabilities. Encourage potential leaders within your organization to go to industry meetups or generate networking opportunities within the company and among partners and customers.

Invest in meaningful mentorship

Mentorship has historically been thought of as a one-way transaction—the mentor volunteers to help the mentee by providing advice, answering questions, etc. While that is a highly valuable exercise for leaders and employees, the reverse value of mentoring should also be a factor when training up new leaders. Mentees can offer unique insights, share skills and introduce new concepts to their mentors that can not only prove their capacity to lead, but also benefit mentors looking to refresh and refine their own skills. Championing the strengths of these future leaders will infuse confidence and an awareness of the traits they can build upon as they strike out in leadership opportunities.

Provide opportunities

Leadership cannot develop in a vacuum. It is incumbent on managers and executives to give employees opportunities to lead. This can start as simple as asking an employee to lead a part of a meeting, or to take ownership of a certain aspect of a project. As employees demonstrate their interest and ability to lead, continue to provide opportunities to take on greater responsibility. Encourage employees to manage as much as they can on their own, but be willing to step in and offer counsel or support as needed.

Allow for failure

All good leaders know that failure is an essential component to success. Yet many work environments don’t allow for even minor setbacks. If employees are too afraid to make a mistake, they cannot become effective leaders. Most of us learn best by doing, and failure is often the best teacher. While proper guardrails should be put into place, taking the stigma out of missteps and instead reframing it as a chance to learn and quickly reiterate can be an ideal way to foster strong leadership. 

Embrace individuality and champion personal growth.

It’s easy to believe that the right leaders are those who demonstrate stereotypical ‘authoritarian’ traits such as taking charge, being quick to make decisions or an ability to drive things forward. However, not all leadership styles are the same. Soft skills such as an ability to collaborate and negotiate, to connect with others and to see all sides of a problem can be the building blocks for incredibly successful leadership.

Allow your employees to embrace their individuality and unique approach to leadership, and encourage them to evaluate their skills to both improve and acquire new skills that will benefit them as they take on greater responsibilities. Assign tasks and provide opportunities that allow them to cultivate the traits necessary for leadership.

Developing leadership skills for your team and encouraging opportunities to build leaders is a surefire way to boost productivity, increase team morale and create a strong company culture. Don’t assume strong leaders will naturally rise to the top. Instead, be strategic and take measurable action to foster leadership talent within the organization.

For help in how best to build and track your strategic leadership success, contact us today!