by Bonni Carson DiMatteo, CMC
Bench strength is only as good as the ability
to leverage it. How often do you find
yourself wondering could Tess be effective in
that new role or would Jim be better able to take on
new responsibilities in the company next year?
Even more vexing is the question of what kind
of leadership is needed next year. It is easy
to fall into thinking that we just need more
of what we have now instead of envisioning
what we will need then.
As Jim Collins aptly describes, "Good is the enemy
of great." Nowhere is that more pronounced
than in leadership development.
This year, for example, your good leaders may
be the ones who implement a plan; play the
20-foot and 2-foot field equally well and are
more tactical and hands on. But next year
there is a very aggressive growth strategy
that will tax all resources. There will be
10% increase in human resources and more
aggressive goals. If you continue to play
closer to the ground, you will be thwarted in
both goal completion and leadership development.
It's time to take a step back and answer five
critical questions:
- If we are to be successful, what will
our company look like in three years?
- To achieve success, what does a leader
need to do?
- What do the values of these leaders need
to be?
- What are the consistent behaviors and
attitudes this leader needs to demonstrate?
- What are the results we expect this
leader to achieve and do they have the
capability to deliver?
Once you have asked these five questions, you
might create a grid that weighs each of the
factors and then scores your potential
candidates against the criteria.
In the old school, people got promoted
because they were technically proficient or
achieved high productivity. Those are not
necessarily the skill sets to LEAD others to
the results you need. It is a different game
with a different set of rules. Take your
company to the next level by developing the
leaders that will take it there.
