How to identify - and keep - emerging people leaders

The pandemic has been something of a litmus test for leadership. Almost overnight, leaders were forced to see their people in a more holistic light, no longer as just the efficient and effective employees that showed up at the office from 8am to 5pm, but as parents, carers, people with health challenges, people struggling with isolation or whose partner’s employment had just been terminated. And team members quickly found out whether their leader - and by extension, their organisation - genuinely cared about them as a person. 

Empathetic leaders (and their team members) were the winners that emerged from this upheaval. Add to this a global skills shortage, and it’s clear we have moved into an employee’s market where employment seekers will actively search for leaders and organisations who care not just for the ‘worker’, but the person. We are now in an increasingly person-centred, holistic era.

Why is leadership capability so important?

There is a mountain of data clearly showing the impact of people leaders on their team members’ engagement levels. And level of engagement impacts just about everything else that makes a business or organisation successful. But ensuring the leaders in your business are the best people for the job is not as simple as promoting the best performers.

How do we identify potential people leaders?

In many organisations, people choose to pursue the leadership path because they see this as the only way to gain promotion. Similarly, many organisations promote people to leadership positions based on their technical skills rather than on their ability or desire to lead, inspire and develop others.

But people leadership needs to be a choice, made with ‘eyes wide open’ about what makes a successful, impactful people leader. The fundamental question for anyone who is considering becoming a people leader is, do you genuinely care for people and want to play a role in enabling others to become successful?

Ideally there would be both a technical track and a people leadership track inside organisations; both are valuable paths.

How do we retain potential leaders within our organisation?

If one of your team is genuinely keen to take on a people leadership role now or in future, and understand what is really involved, the key is to give them opportunities to develop, regardless of whether there are any suitable roles available.

Opportunities to build effective relationships are an exceptional place to start. Encourage them to connect effectively with people and build trust and rapport - this is the foundation of effective leadership. Consider how they might take on a leadership role within a small project to build their capabilities and boost their learning. Have them mentor or coach a newer team member. Contact your HR team and ask about development opportunities across the business - programs, secondments, mentoring, coaching, training subsidies and more.

Remember that your team member doesn’t have to have ‘leader’ in their title to demonstrate leadership capability. There are opportunities every day for them to role model inspiring leadership. What’s the first thing they could do? And what can you do to support them?

When an emerging leader has their leader’s support and a growth mindset – they are keen to learn, are prepared to try new things and fail, ask questions to build their knowledge, and ask for help – wonderful things are possible.

Related: The #1 challenge for new leaders (and how to overcome it)

For more on developing your people, check out Chapter 12 of my book, ‘On your marks, get set… LEAD! A beginner’s guide to people leadership’.