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Building Leaders Inside Your Business
When we think about leadership development, it's easy to picture the people already sitting at the top of an organization.
But some of the most important leaders in your business may not have "manager," "director," or "vice president" anywhere in their title.
They may be the employee others naturally turn to when there's a problem. The person who takes ownership without being asked. The team member who encourages others, asks good questions, or sees an opportunity to make something better.
The question is: Are we giving those people opportunities to grow?
One of the challenges businesses face is spending so much time trying to find great employees that we can overlook the potential of the people already on our teams. Recruiting will always be important, but developing the people we already have can be just as critical to the long-term health of an organization.
And leadership development doesn't have to begin with an expensive program.
It can start by giving an employee responsibility for a project instead of simply giving them a task. Invite someone into a meeting they wouldn't normally attend. Ask for their opinion before providing your own. Give an emerging leader an opportunity to represent your company in the community. Encourage them to attend a professional development program, serve on a committee, find a mentor, or mentor someone else.
Most importantly, give people room to lead.
That sometimes means allowing them to approach a problem differently than you would. It means providing guidance without providing every answer. And yes, occasionally it means allowing someone to make a mistake and helping them learn from it.
As leaders, part of our responsibility isn't simply accomplishing today's work. It's preparing people who can lead tomorrow's.
So here's my challenge this week.
Look around your organization and identify one person with leadership potential. Then ask yourself: What opportunity can I give this person that will stretch them?
Maybe it's leading a meeting. Maybe it's managing a project. Maybe it's attending a Shawnee Forward event on behalf of your organization. Maybe it's participating in professional development. The opportunity doesn't have to be big. It simply has to give someone a chance to grow.
At Shawnee Forward, we want to help businesses develop those people. Through Leadership Shawnee, our new Professional Development Series, networking opportunities, community involvement, and connections with our education and workforce partners, we're creating more opportunities for people at every stage of their careers to learn and lead.
Because when we develop better leaders inside our businesses, we don't just strengthen individual organizations. We strengthen our entire community.
~Daniel
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