H&S and Wellness atThe North West Company

So you lead a team or want to lead a team and are not sure what a good leader looks like or how to develop leadership skills for yourself or others.

What leadership development isn’t is putting people inside a box with no plan to support their development. Far too often, I see Leaders trying to stay ‘up with the times’ but falling behind and failing their people because they didn't have a plan to develop their leadership skills.

We can't develop leadership skills from a box; we can identify Hipos, and what about the middle of the box, the people who show up every day and make things happen? Are your Hipo’s a risk? Ask yourself- what are the chances they’ll stick around?

Try Investing your time and energy into the people who do the work, show up every day, and are loyal to the business. Create a plan for them, yes, the ones we overlook because we get caught up in the word ‘HIPO.’  Align your leadership development plan with your business objectives, standards, vision, and values.

It’s hard for leaders to listen to the group in the middle; surely the HIPO knows better, right? I'll leave that for you to figure out for your business and team. But understand that if you're not talking to your people, if you work in a silo, someone else will develop their leadership skills, and you'll lose talent and the hidden up-and-coming Leader. It may not be the person you identified as a HIPO; life is like that, and we realize the miss after the employee leaves.

So then what?

When done right, you won't always be searching for the newest, shiny, and smartest thing, so then why aren’twe developing our people to be leaders? If you want ‘new,' make sure it aligns with the culture and leaders you want representing your business. If you're investing in your inside talent, it will leave a lasting impact with high company morale and a trusting culture.

Leadership is about allowing your people in all phases of their careers to step outside of the box and try new things. Sometimes, we win, and sometimes, we fail; in both phases, we are developing leadership skills that will help us lead our people and, in turn, help them to lead their team. 

When developing leaders, remember to listen; don't listen with the intent of responding, but really listen. This will allow them to feel heard and, in turn, gain a thirst for knowledge; you will support their development and grow and plant the seeds for future leaders. Ask your people what they need and where they are at; don't assume.

Build that foundation for leaders to develop leadership skills; our world is changing, and being flexible will allow your business to lead the talent market and have a competitive advantage. It's not a one-size-fits-all-all; soft skills anyone can learn but can easily be forgotten with shiny new things.

I'm being hard on the HIPO, but because something new and shiny comes along, don't forget your people who are loyal and want to grow but may be overlooked because we know they'll stick around.

Be aware of the gaps and understand transferable skills that could be put into practice.

Creating a Leadership Development Plan

Assess and Identify the talent you need; where are the gaps in current talent

Determine what type of Leadership style aligns with your core principles

Determine future leadership competencies needed for your business

Design a plan and goals that work for your business

Now Develop Leadership Skills by:

● Develop a Personal development plan

● Include strategy, and budget support (small budgets help young emerging leaders)

● Project planning – move from technical to individual contributor

● Process

● Purpose

● Coaching and Feedback

● Communicate

What works for you may not work for someone else, so don't fall into the shiny new ball syndrome; stay focused on your emerging leaders' development and what your business needs to get you to the next milestone.