5 WAYS TO DEVELOP YOUR TEAM’S LEADERSHIP SKILLS
It's key for bosses to develop their leadership skills, but what about bosses helping their team develop their leadership skills?
Managers shouldn't be promoted just because of their individual success, but because of:
Their ability to lead other employees in the right direction
The company's general success
Their general care about other people's progression
But leadership isn't reserved for those in management positions.
Leadership is all about:
Being a good example
Supporting other employees
Taking the lead in tricky situations
Encouraging and motivating others
Some people do this naturally in the workplace so it's up to you to help them develop.
But what if teaching them to lead makes them arrogant? This all depends on how you teach them. If you teach them that leadership is for the benefit of the whole team and not just for them as an individual, they'll approach leadership with kindness and appreciation for others.
Not to mention, investing in your team for their long-term development will lead to higher retention and engagement. And if they stick around, most will be looking to enter into a leadership role meaning they'll be far better leaders if you train them to lead now.
Here are 5 ways to equip your team with strong leadership skills:
LEAD your employees BY EXAMPLE
You should've known this one was coming...
Before you begin any training sessions or develop any expectations for how your team members should lead - think about the example you set for them.
Be what you want to see in your employees.
Have a character that is:
Inspiring
Encouraging
Supportive
Open to new ideas
Do you want your team to be passionate? Show passion. Do you want your team to care about others? Show empathy.
A boss that uses fear and micromanagement to lead causes nothing but unproductive, uncreative, and disloyal employees. Employees who lead with the same tactics that they've seen their manager use.
PROVIDE employees OPPORTUNITIES FOR GROWTH
The most obvious way of facilitating growth for employees is through structured training. Whether that's:
Regular training sessions on different topics
Mentoring programmes
Encouraging them to attend seminars
All of which can help them to develop knowledge and mindsets that will positively translate into the workplace. This also gives them a chance to ask questions and get a clearer understanding of where their career could progress towards.
But if you want to see their skills in action, whilst allowing them to put things into practice - give them small but interesting tasks and responsibilities that will challenge them.
You could ask them to:
Lead a team project and delegate tasks to team members
Mentor junior coworkers and provide feedback
Lead a training session and share their knowledge and skills
Shadow you as you take on a project and guide them through the process of planning, executing, and managing
FOSTER A COLLABORATIVE ENVIRONMENT
Although leadership is stereotypically seen as an individual journey, if you want to ensure people lead with others in mind - collaboration has to be at the forefront.
And it's also impossible to be a good leader without good input.
Encourage your team to work together and collaborate on projects. This way, each person will develop a deeper understanding of each person's role, along with their strengths. Great leaders lean on other people for help and feedback.
Ways to encourage teamwork include:
Giving mutual targets
Rewarding team success
Scheduling more team meetings
Organising team socials
Tackling underlying conflict
PROVIDE FEEDBACK AND RECOGNITION
If an employee has expressed an interest in leadership, follow through with regular check-ins to provide feedback, whilst recognising their achievements.
1-1 meetings help to plan the next steps, but most importantly - they keep team members motivated and engaged. Why? Because it shows you care and you're willing to take time out of your day to support them individually.
Employees will be far more likely to follow through with developing their skills if you affirm them.
ENCOURAGE CONTINUOUS LEARNING
Learning doesn't stop at 5:00 pm, and leadership isn't restricted to the workplace.
Yes, the company will benefit from employees developing their leadership skills so you should be intentional about helping them at work - but encouraging them to continue learning outside of work will show them that you care about their self-development overall.
Encourage employees to:
Attend conferences
Take courses
Read books
Listen to podcasts
Follow thought leaders
This also means your employees will have a wider, more personal approach to leadership because rather than just seeing leadership as just a work-related pursuit, they see the day-to-day value of it.
- Written by Oliver Howson
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