Developing Your Top Talent

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Are you developing your rising stars so they can take on more responsibility—perhaps ultimately taking over your leadership?

There is a strategic advantage to invest in the development of your upcoming leaders.

One is to delegate more and more of your duties to that person(s) so that you can focus on the most important thing—being the Visionary (and for some, the Rainmaker.)

The second advantage is to have a qualified, highly trained replacement. What would happen to your company if you got hit by a bus tomorrow?

Assuming you have identified the upcoming leaders, do you have a development plan for them? Have you made a list of the skills and knowledge that each one needs to learn?

Don’t assume the junior leader understands the role you are grooming them for. Start with the basics: clarify the responsibilities and spell out what it takes to be highly successful in the position.

Then outline the relational aspect of the position—the best ways to work with the people with whom your upcoming leader will interact. Discuss the quirks, needs, and communication styles of the customers or vendors the new leader will be working with.

Then review the tactical elements of the job: the tasks to carry out, the processes to follow, the available tools and resources. Write these on a list and keep it updated.

Consider sending your most promising leader to the Vistage Peer Advisory Group for Key Executives. In the Key Group, your person will have the best professional development available in Hawai’i, including:

 

  • 1) A peer advisory board of smart Hawai’i executives with several hundred years of expertise in the room.
  • 2) World class speaker seminars on the latest best business and leadership practices.
  • 3) A confidential place to bring business challenges and new ideas for solutions and input.
  • 4) Ongoing feedback from peers on your executive’s communication style and leadership skills.

 

Watch this 4 minute video to see what actually happens in a Vistage peer group meeting.

 

Thought Provoking Quotes

“Without conflicting frames of reference, the social system scrutinizes only limited features of its problematic environment. It operates at the mercy of its blind spots because it cannot prepare for what it does not see.” — Ron Heifetz

“Those who failed to oppose me…who readily agreed with me and accepted all my views…were those who did me the most injury.” — Napoleon Bonaparte

“If you’re the smartest person in the room, find another room.” — Michael Dell, Dell Computers

“None of us is as strong as all of us.” — Ray Croc