Rethink your Leadership Development: Start Early for Bigger Impact!

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Many leadership development programmes are aimed at developing existing leaders and whilst this is crucial, it is also arguably too late!

In today's rapidly evolving business landscape and VUCA world, the demand for effective leadership is more pressing than ever and yet, many businesses do not have leadership and management training and development in place at all or, if they do, their programmes are traditional leadership development programs which often focus on supporting only those perceived to be "high potential" and already in leadership positions.

A critical and yet often overlooked demographic is emerging leaders, that is, those leaders typically in the early stages of their career and still developing their leadership abilities whilst beginning to demonstrate potential for leadership roles within their business or field of work. These individuals may not yet hold formal management or leadership positions but are recognised for their initiative, vision, and ability to influence others positively.

Leadership qualities are not innate but learned and nurtured through training, experience, mentorship, coaching and education.

And, it's not a set of skills acquired overnight, but rather a journey of growth and development that begins long before someone assumes a formal leadership role.

By redirecting your attention to your emerging leaders, you have the chance to cultivate a more robust and sustainable leadership pipeline.

So why should you start early?

1. Cultivating Leadership Mindset: Leadership is as much about mindset as it is about skillset. By intervening early, you can help shape the attitudes, values, and beliefs that underpin effective leadership behaviour and create best practice for working collaboratively and effectively.
2. Nurturing Potential: Identifying and nurturing emerging leaders allows you to tap into a pool of talent with fresh perspectives, innovative ideas, and untapped potential.
3. Building Resilience: Leadership is fraught with challenges and setbacks. By providing early developmental opportunities, you equip emerging leaders with the resilience and adaptability needed to navigate the complexities of leadership roles and cope better with stressful situations.
4. Sustaining Organisational Success: Investing in emerging leaders ensures continuity and stability within the business, reducing the risk of leadership gaps during periods of transition.

More than this though, preparing leaders before they assume formal leadership positions can have a transformative impact on their confidence, self-belief, and overall mental wellbeing. Here's how:

1. Confidence Building: Leadership development programs provide emerging leaders with the tools, resources, and experiences they need to build confidence in their abilities. Through mentorship, training, and opportunities for hands-on leadership experience, individuals can develop the self-assurance necessary to take on leadership roles with conviction.
2. Instilling Self-Belief: Effective leadership development fosters a sense of self-belief by helping emerging leaders recognise and leverage their strengths, while also addressing areas for growth. By providing constructive feedback, encouragement, and support, you can empower individuals to believe in their potential to make a positive impact as leaders.
3. Supporting Mental Wellbeing: Leadership can be demanding and stressful, so it's essential for emerging leaders to develop healthy coping mechanisms and resilience early on. Leadership development programs that incorporate strategies for managing stress, promoting work-life balance, and prioritising self-care can contribute to a culture of mental wellbeing within the business for both the leader and their teams.
4. Cultivating a Positive Team Culture: Emerging leaders who are supported in their personal and professional growth are better equipped to foster a culture of trust, collaboration, and psychological safety within their teams. By leading by example and prioritising the wellbeing of their team members, these leaders can create environments where individuals feel valued, motivated, and empowered to perform at their best.

Investing in leadership development at earlier career stages offers several key business advantages:

1. Longer-Term Impact: By starting early, you can develop leadership competencies that grow and evolve with individuals throughout their careers, ensuring a sustainable leadership pipeline.
2. Cultural Alignment: Early leadership development allows for the cultivation of leaders who embody and champion the your culture, fostering a sense of belonging and unity among teams.
3. Innovation and Adaptability: Emerging leaders bring fresh perspectives and agility to the table. Investing in their development early cultivates a culture of innovation and adaptability, crucial in your business environment.
4. Succession Planning: Building a robust pipeline of future leaders reduces the risk of leadership gaps during periods of transition, ensuring continuity and stability within your businesses.

Investing in emerging leadership development programs also plays a crucial role in attracting and retaining top talent. Businesses that prioritise nurturing future leaders from the beginning demonstrate a commitment to employee growth and career advancement, which can significantly enhance their attractiveness to external talent as well as retaining those already with you.

Research shows that potential employees are often drawn to businesses that offer opportunities for personal and professional development and will actively seek out opportunities for growth, development programmes and career pathways.

It therefore follows that this also creates a competitive advantage by differentiating your business from the competition and, by nurturing future leaders from within, ensures a pipeline of talent to enable you to fill your leadership roles in the future.

So, how can you effectively implement leadership development programs for emerging leaders?

• Tailored Development Paths: Offer bespoke, customised development paths that cater to the unique strengths, aspirations, and developmental needs of each emerging leader. Their own personal development journey.
• Targeted Training and Development Programmes: Offer specialised training and development programs designed to equip emerging leaders with the skills, knowledge, and competencies essential at each stage of their leadership journey.
• Structured Mentorship Programs: Pair emerging leaders with experienced mentors who can provide guidance, support, appropriate challenge and real-world insights and wisdom gleaned from years of leadership experience.
• 121 Coaching: Individualised coaching sessions offer personalised support and guidance tailored to the specific needs and challenges of each leader. A skilled coach can help emerging leaders identify their strengths and areas for growth, set actionable goals, and develop strategies to overcome obstacles. Through regular coaching sessions, emerging leaders can receive focused attention and feedback, accelerating their professional development and leadership journey.
• Experiential Learning: Provide opportunities for hands-on experience, learning on the job and stretch assignments or secondments that challenge emerging leaders to grow and develop their leadership capabilities.
• Continuous Feedback and Reflection: Encourage a culture of feedback and self-reflection, where emerging leaders can learn from both successes and setbacks, fostering continuous growth and improvement.

So, whilst investing in the development of existing leaders is undoubtedly crucial, overlooking emerging leaders is a missed opportunity with far-reaching consequences. By nurturing these individuals early, you will build a resilient leadership pipeline, foster a positive culture, and ensure sustainability, because it's not just about preparing for the future; it's about cultivating growth and innovation for ongoing success.

Points to ponder:

• What training and support do you currently have in place for your aspirational managers and leaders in waiting?
• What training and support do you currently have in place for your newly promoted managers to support transition into the role effectively and smoothly?
• What area if improved, would make the biggest difference to your managers and therefore your business?
• What one thing would you like to put in place to make this happen?

If you feel like you would like support to achieve your goals.

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Whenever you're ready, I can help you to:

1) Explore how to support your Emerging Leaders

• develop your emerging leaders

2) Develop Yourself - Get Expert Coaching With Me

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I'm Chrissie and I talk about Leadership Coaching and Development and Organisational Behavioural Analytics. I empower high achieving results driven business owners and leaders to create great employee experiences, realise their potential and grow their business?results

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