These New Year's resolutions can help you strengthen your company's leadership
Executives should make corporate New Year’s resolutions that will strengthen their firm’s leadership, according to Development Dimensions International (DDI), a business consulting firm.
Here are eight resolutions that DDI says can help your company build stronger leaders.
Resolutions
1. Make a leadership game plan.
Determine what type of leadership your company will need in the future. Create a plan that identifies potential leaders, diagnoses their developmental needs, lists actions for development and measures progress. Linking it back to your business strategy is key.
2. Hire all-around athletes.
Understand what skills, knowledge and competencies your team needs today and in the future. Hire those individuals who can play a variety of positions as your company grows and changes.
3. Test for success.
To clearly identify potential and prescribe development, use appropriate tools such as assessment centers, simulations and paper and pencil tests.
4. Don't get caught in a leadership "half Nelson."
You or the leaders who work for you can be sabotaged by ignoring eleven “derailers.” Pay attention to potential leaders who might have these qualities — they could derail you and themselves. Derailers include: impulsiveness, low tolerance for ambiguity, arrogance, micromanagement, self-promotion, volatility, risk aversion, defensiveness, imperceptivity, approval dependence and eccentricity.
5. Make stretch assignments.
Challenging job assignments or new projects will help new leaders develop more quickly. Give team members the opportunity to try out new positions.
6. Know the ropes of development.
There are many ways to develop new skills — online learning, in the classroom, new job assignments, and shadowing others. The key is to understand which approaches work for the individual and the skills, knowledge or competencies that need to be developed.
7. Bring in the coach.
The manager of a high-potential employee is not always the best coach. Seek out people who may have coaching skills and the competencies your high-potential team member needs.
8. Keep score.
Most people can create a development plan, but of those who do, 70 per cent do not review and measure progress of development. If development isn't happening or you don't know if what is happening is effective, then new leaders cannot emerge.
Here are eight resolutions that DDI says can help your company build stronger leaders.
Resolutions
1. Make a leadership game plan.
Determine what type of leadership your company will need in the future. Create a plan that identifies potential leaders, diagnoses their developmental needs, lists actions for development and measures progress. Linking it back to your business strategy is key.
2. Hire all-around athletes.
Understand what skills, knowledge and competencies your team needs today and in the future. Hire those individuals who can play a variety of positions as your company grows and changes.
3. Test for success.
To clearly identify potential and prescribe development, use appropriate tools such as assessment centers, simulations and paper and pencil tests.
4. Don't get caught in a leadership "half Nelson."
You or the leaders who work for you can be sabotaged by ignoring eleven “derailers.” Pay attention to potential leaders who might have these qualities — they could derail you and themselves. Derailers include: impulsiveness, low tolerance for ambiguity, arrogance, micromanagement, self-promotion, volatility, risk aversion, defensiveness, imperceptivity, approval dependence and eccentricity.
5. Make stretch assignments.
Challenging job assignments or new projects will help new leaders develop more quickly. Give team members the opportunity to try out new positions.
6. Know the ropes of development.
There are many ways to develop new skills — online learning, in the classroom, new job assignments, and shadowing others. The key is to understand which approaches work for the individual and the skills, knowledge or competencies that need to be developed.
7. Bring in the coach.
The manager of a high-potential employee is not always the best coach. Seek out people who may have coaching skills and the competencies your high-potential team member needs.
8. Keep score.
Most people can create a development plan, but of those who do, 70 per cent do not review and measure progress of development. If development isn't happening or you don't know if what is happening is effective, then new leaders cannot emerge.
