Identifying leadership potential in others is part of your job as a leader. There’s an old saying if you are the smartest person in the room, you are in the wrong room. Hopefully, you have been told that for you to move to other opportunities; Find your replacement. How do you find your replacement? Here are four tips to identify leadership potential.
Tip 1- Someone who is approachable
Being a leader requires you to be approachable. The company might put you into a position of authority without being approachable, but will that make you an outstanding leader? Don’t get this confused with being an introvert or an extrovert. Either personality type can be approachable.
Being approachable means you’re comfortable answering questions. It means you take the time required to support others and problem-solve together. You act humbly with your peers and leaders.
Observe how others in the company interact with this individual to get an idea of how approachable they are. If others will work with this person, ask questions, and willingly share information, that is a significant sign!
Tip 2- They remain calm
I think we can all agree business has changed a lot recently. How have your employees reacted? Have some hit the panic button and begin playing the blame game? Have others stepped into a problem-solving mindset?
The ones who remain calm and focus on problem-solving are the ones who will make great future leaders. They understand that stuff happens in business and when it does, complaining won’t solve problems. Look for employees who remain calm.
Tip 3- They have an open mind
If they have been able to remain calm and work to problem solve, chances are they have an open mind. This might mean that what used to work before won’t work now, and we better figure out some ways to move forward.
Having an open mind means they aren’t wedded to a fixed solution. Which means they are…
Tip 4- Adaptable
I think we can all agree being adaptable is a wonderful trait to have. Future leaders will have to be adaptable. Who knows what will happen week-to-week or even day-to-day. Leaders will have to quickly understand the impact of the changes and lead their teams to adapt as well with minimum disruption to the company.
Look for people that are fine operating where there is ambiguity. Identify people who are fine making decisions and moving on.
Identifying the next leaders within any organization is key to the ongoing success of any company. If you keep these four tips in mind, I know you will identify leadership potential in your employees!
As always, it is an honor to serve you, and I hope that you and your company are getting better every day!
Follow me on Twitter
Join me on LinkedIn
Listen to the podcast here