by Paddy Barr, Managing Partner, Barr Performance Coaching and IMI associate
Identifying and developing the next generation of leaders for any organisation is not easy, yet critically important to the long term success of the company. Arguably the single biggest legacy a leader or leadership team leave behind when they depart from a company is their successors. No matter how good you are as a leader if you hand over the reigns to an individual incapable of building upon your foundations the company will fail sooner rather than later.
The unique challenge in identifying a leader is somewhat complicated by the fact that invariably the high performing talent in an organisation usually emerges from a cohort of subject matter expert individual contributors. They sometimes “earn” the opportunity to manage and lead based upon their technical ability or knowledge as opposed to their leadership capability. In some cases the only reason the individual expresses a desire to manage or lead is because there are no other career progression options available, consequently we may end up with managers and leaders who have little or no interest in leading.
The importance of providing career progression options for individual contributors cannot be over stated especially where a company needs to retain access to specialist technical knowledge or expertise. However, that is a topic for another day. There are multiple ways to identify and rectify leadership capability gaps however I suggest the utilisation of some or all of the approaches outlined below will more than likely set the new leader up for success.
Capability Gap Identification
- The individual themselves
- Psychometric testing & Emotional Intelligence
- Well managed 360 Degree feedback
Capability Gap Rectification
- Access to a Coach or Mentor
The individual themselves
Most individuals will know what stresses them or what they avoid or simply don’t like about leading so often the best approach is to help the individual address their fears and concerns. A good start is to enable the new leader to name their concerns and put an action plan in place to strengthen their resolve or ability to address those areas of leadership they find daunting. People tend to be motivated to address their own fears or concerns so it is always good to start with those development areas before layering on third party feedback.
Psychometric testing & Emotional Intelligence:
We all have blind spots. I find the value of psychometric testing is that it enables the new leader to perhaps see the world from a different perspective and will usually uncover a couple of blind spots. Usually the psychometric test will open up topics of conversation that will help the new leader get a better understanding of their own leadership style, their strengths and areas for development. The challenge here is getting the balance right. With all leadership competencies it can be just as detrimental to “over do” a competency as “under do” the competency.
The modern leader needs to be very self-aware and needs to be very intrinsically motivated to want to lead the team or organisation. Building Emotional Intelligence will hugely help the leader acquire the resilience and competencies to engage their teams in a manner that will deliver sustainable results. The Hogan psychometric tests can be very helpful in identifying leadership capability and the Roche Martin ECR360 is very good for identifying EQ capability.
Well Managed 360 Degree Feedback Process
A well managed 360 Degreed feedback process can be outstanding in helping the new leader understand the difference between having a competency and displaying a competency. Simply having a competency is not enough, we need to display the competency in a manner that will inspire and motivate others to deliver great results. 360 Degree feedback is the ideal mechanism to solicit from others “how you show up” on a day to day basis, what they like and what find demotivating or distracting. In many cases the 360 degree feedback process not only gives the leader a perspective of their own style but also an insight into how the respondents like to be managed. It is important that the process is well managed with the individual receiving the feedback from a diverse cohort of people who know the leader well and have the strength of character to provide candid feedback.
Trusted confident Coach or Mentor
Having identified the leadership capability gaps the obvious next questions are so what? What now? I acknowledge that there are many leadership courses and micro credential options out there however invariably the new leader needs to show up immediately and may not have the time to undertake a course so for very swift results engaging a coach or mentor for the new leader may be pivotal.
Being a leader can be an extremely lonely experience as invariably everyone who engages with the leader has a vested interest in the outcome of the conversation. It is important that the leader has access to a cohort of knowledgeable individuals with whom they can be vulnerable and express their fears and anxieties. The opportunity to talk through scenarios and challenges with a knowledgeable professional who is completely independent can be immensely valuable for the leader as they develop their leadership skills. The coach or mentor will challenge and support the leader in equal measure. The desired outcome of the relationship is to help the leader address any capability gaps whilst strengthening existing competencies. Many leaders find access to a coach or mentor to be an extremely rewarding experience as well as beneficial in helping them to sustain performance at the highest level.
About the author
Patrick Barr is the owner & Managing Partner of Barr Performance Coaching a boutique coaching and leadership development company focusing on enabling clients maximise their potential and achieve exceptional personal and professional results. Patrick’s commitment is to collaborate with clients to design, develop and implement high quality business, career & personal development strategies using challenging innovative processes and creative, insightful thought leadership.
