04 Ways to Develop the Leaders You'll Need in the Future

1. Stop choosing potential leaders based on unrelated skills.

Gallup's 2015 State of the American Manager Report, which studied 2.5 million manager-led teams in 195 countries, found that the top two reasons employees are promoted to management positions are because they were successful in a non-managerial role or because of their tenure with the company. Neither of those criteria have any proven correlation with leadership skills or relevant experience.

Create a better means of measuring for true leadership potential. Look at the culture of the organization and envision what it would look like for someone to lead by those values. Also consider how successful leaders evolved over time in the organization. Then use that information to make a list of recognizable traits to look for as signs of leadership potential.

2. Broaden leadership development to more employees.

People learn and grow at their own unique pace. Requiring that an employee reach a certain position or be with the company for a certain number of years before they're offered leadership opportunities holds back those who might be ready for more responsibility now. Or even worse, it might push those who aren't yet ready into leadership roles.

Instead, let leadership development be a company-wide initiative. This gives more people the chance to take the next step in their career. It also creates a larger pool of possible great leaders to draw from across the organization.

3. Track progress and growth.

There's no way of knowing who is ready to step up and lead unless development is monitored. Remember that this is a process. Employees need feedback from their mentors and coaches to know for certain what skills they've mastered as well as where there can still be improvements made.

Develop a way to assess progress for different leadership positions, and be clear with employees and coaches about what success would look like in different situations. For instance, explain what is expected of a first time project leader. Get everyone on the same page about the developing leader's responsibilities and how that should guide their team.

Then collect thorough feedback from all those involved. Ask the leadership candidate what challenges they faced as well as where they think they thrived. Pose the same questions to those they supervised and organizational mentors. Over time, this will reveal patterns that make it easier to identify who is best suited for leadership in the long-term.

4. Focus on continual leadership development.

There is no such thing as too much experience. There is always more that can be learned. After leadership candidates have been identified, continue to nurture them. This keeps employees from feeling that they have plateaued, which is unfortunately common.