Develop Your Leadership Team For Success

When scaling a company, one of the best parts is getting to promote your people from within. The people that were with you from the very beginning. The ones who consistently understood the vision, built strong relationships and always took initiative. They are super qualified and ready for their new role. But…

Your job as a leader is not done. 

In fact, it’s only just begun. What if the person you promote has never been in a senior leadership role? What if they haven’t been trained on the parts of leadership that truly define success, such as the ability to have difficult conversations, lead a team, build their people up, perform their job with confidence?

Don’t expect that they will figure this out alone. They are already in a new position, with increased responsibility, higher compensation and potentially, more stress. They may have worked wonderfully as a solo employee, but never had to manage people under them, while still navigating their own workload. It’s a whole different ball game.

When you promote someone, ensure the skills they need to thrive in their new role are part of the transition process. 

Internal training is a great place to start. Can another leader mentor them for the first few months in their new role? Can they attend high level meetings to see how the top tier of the organization operates? Can they get together with other new managers and read a business book together or listen to a podcast, then discuss what they have learned and how they will implement better practices into their day? The options are endless.  

While internal training and mentoring is great, bringing in an outside coach can also be a big help. This might help your new leader feel more at ease, as they know they are talking to an objective third party that is solely there to help cultivate their skills and focus on their success. 

An outside coach can also help a leader determine the type of leader they desire to be. Then work with them on developing skill sets and the nuances to own their own leadership style.  From our previous experiences, we often know what we do not want to represent as a leader. It is incredible and  powerful when we step into the role of a leader we truly admire and it is ourselves. 

Listening skills are paramount. I’ve suggested before to create time in your calendar for an open Zoom room where your people can pop in and chat for a bit. This is a great opportunity to work on communication skills and have time to connect, develop and expand on relationships within the organization.  

When people aren’t feeling heard, they tend to repeat themselves. They speak in a loud voice, their emotions build with each word. They get frustrated. We have all seen this both in our personal and professional lives.

With a focus on listening, results come more easily. If a new leader comes to you upset…listen. Repeat back to them what they said to you so they know you are truly engaged and then provide them with action steps so they can get back on track and do it feeling empowered.