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Succession In leadership is difficult, so lets go over some tips that can help improve it!
When the time comes to pass the torch to the next generation of leadership, candidates should be thoroughly trained, but unfortunately, a very small number are.
The Elephant in the Room
In Leadership, most are focused on growing their business, planning for the future, and don’t take time to focus on key upcoming people. This can, and has led to poorly executed position transfers at the own detriment of the company. The best succession plans are ones that include the entire company, and enable their team with the right tools to succeed. According to a recent study by the Center for Creative Leadership, between 38 percent and more than half of new leaders fail during the first 18 months of their tenure. By adopting effective leadership methods that drive their team members to achieve their goals, leaders can avoid being part of this alarming number. Here’s a great excerpt from our friends over at AutoNews.com:
"Very few dealerships have a formal strategy in place," says Kendall Rawls, director of development with the Rawls Group, an Orlando-based consulting firm that works in the automotive sector among other industries.
Too often, she says, owners and managers think they're too busy growing their business to plan for the future and put the right people in place to make it happen.
True succession planning, Rawls says, should encompass the entire dealership, defining its culture, long-term growth goals and personnel strategy. This will help create value and provide options for the leadership team to achieve desired results, she adds.
Fixing the issue
As mentioned above, leadership should have a plan to deal with succession, and everyone should be involved. Great leaders develop great leaders, and enable their employees to grow their roles within the organization. A strong leader leads with a vision that allows them to see around the corner. Here’s another excerpt from AutoNews article that outlines a successful plan that can be implemented:
For the Rawls Group, the process starts with a comprehensive gap analysis. This includes interviewing all department heads and managers to develop job descriptions and a list of key characteristics and skills for prospective candidates.
Working with a dealer's senior leadership, the consulting group also identifies opportunities and challenges. Employees are evaluated for advancement and development programs are formalized to help them progress. Informal mentorships and frequent feedback also are encouraged.
"No position is too small not to have a [succession] plan in place," Rawls says. "Dealers need to develop bench strength throughout the organization, right down to the reception desk."
Now that we’ve covered what one should look like, let's go over some tips that can help improve your leadership ability, and allow you to cultivate a culture that will help your business with making sure your team is ready for taking on larger roles. Our friend Skye Schooley over at business.com has compiled an amazing list, so we’ll let her take it away!
Engage in honest, open communication.
One of the most important elements of effective leadership is creating an open line of communication with your team members. Sanjay Patoliya, the founder and director of Teclogiq, said that your own honesty and transparency should serve as an example for your team members.
“When you are responsible for a team of people, it is important to be straightforward,” he said. “Your company and its employees are a reflection of yourself, and if you make honest and ethical behavior as a key value, your team will follow.”
Brownlee added that great leaders are able to customize their interactions and communication styles to suit each situation and team member, based on individual preferences. “This means they take the time to figure out which communication mode is preferred by each team member – e.g., are they a text person, email, phone, or face-to-face? They’re also great listeners and are authentically interested in other people.”
Displaying active communication skills and transparency can build trust among your team and improve overall morale. Ruslan Fazlyev, CEO and founder of e-commerce solutions provider Ecwid, said that in all your communications, it’s important to be genuine above all else.
“There are many leadership styles; there’s no right and wrong,” he said. “But there’s genuine, and there’s fake. There’s no following to fake leadership.”
2. Connect with your team members.
Leading a group of people requires a mutual sense of trust and understanding between the leader and their team members. To achieve this, leaders should learn to connect.
Terry “Starbucker” St. Marie, a leadership writer and consultant, said that being a “more human” leader requires positivity, purpose, empathy, compassion, humility and love. These key traits will put you on the road to genuine connections with the members of your team.
“Building a real, personal connection with your teammates is vital to developing the shared trust necessary to build a strong culture of accountability and exceptional performance,” St. Marie said. “With that culture in place, the team can achieve a successful business, a happy team, and a fulfilled leader.”
To build a connection with each of your team members, focus on getting to know their personality, interests, strengths, weaknesses, hobbies, and preferences. This can give you insight into their goals and motivations.
Patoliya said that successful leaders allow their teams to develop autonomy and add value according to their own personal strengths. “Being able to recognize the strengths of individuals within their team, and allowing them to be responsible and accountable, not only increases employees’ confidence in themselves and their leader, but also increases their performance.”
3. Encourage personal and professional growth.
Acting as your team’s cheerleader is an important part of being an effective leader. You should be invested in their success and growth.
Keri Ohlrich, the CEO of HR consulting company Abbracci Group, said that leaders should set aside a budget, if only a small one, to dedicate to the growth of their employees.
“With options as varied as on-demand, virtual [and] in-person options, there’s ample opportunity to continue learning new skills or further developing existing ones,” she said. “Empower your employees to take the time to learn and infuse that in the work they do.”
In addition to investing in your employees’ growth financially, you should invest emotionally. John Rampton, founder and CEO of Calendar, said that great leaders empower their employees to grow by giving them challenging opportunities and guiding them as needed.
“To motivate and inspire employees, leadership strategy is about empowering others to do their best and take on new challenges,” he said. “Employees like challenges and feeling the satisfaction of overcoming them. Whether it’s a tough client, a difficult sale, a hard situation or whatever the case, it’s always good to let them take on these challenges.”
When leaders believe in their employees and give them the opportunity to learn and grow, they might be surprised how much they can accomplish. Don’t be afraid to delegate tasks and encourage freedom and creativity.
4. Keep a positive attitude.
As much as leaders wish their team’s day-to-day operations could run smoothly all the time, they’re bound to run into the occasional obstacle. Whether it’s a minor miscommunication or a major error, the way you handle a negative situation says a lot about your leadership skills.
Robert Mann, author of The Measure of a Leader (iUniverse, 2013), recommended focusing on the good in any set of circumstances. “Look at three positive things about a problem before you identify what makes it dissatisfying. The more you look at the positives in a problem, the more positively people react with one another.”
In his research, Mann has found that after individuals point out things they’re happy with in a problematic situation, they don’t feel so strongly about the problem and are better able to think clearly and solve it. The same is true when a leader needs to improve their strategy. If you or a team member notices a particular course of action you’ve taken that just isn’t working, figure out some things you’ve done in the past that have worked.
Patoliya added that focusing on solutions, rather than problems, can help your team maintain positive engagement. “A positive environment is more likely to create a more engaged and productive workforce. By displaying enthusiasm and confidence, a good leader will see the impact that they can have in their working environment.”
5. Teach employees instead of giving orders.
An effective leader knows how to show others what is required, rather than simply telling them. Luke Iorio, president and CEO of the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC), said leaders should coach their team members toward a more collaborative, committed work environment – without coaxing them.
“[If you are] controlling people to do certain things in certain ways, you’re not going to get the level of engagement that you’re looking for,” he said. “Coaching is about helping the people you lead recognize the choices they have in front of them. People will [then] take a great deal of ownership over the direction of the project.”
As opposed to simply barking orders at team members, Rampton said that good leaders should encourage growth by teaching. “People wouldn’t grow if leaders never taught them anything. Leaders need to be teaching so they can grow new leaders to take their place.”
6. Set clear employee goals and expectations.
Setting clear goals and employee expectations for your team is key to employee success. When setting these objectives, encourage employee questions and feedback. Including them in the process can increase engagement.
Amish Shah, president of ALTR Created Diamonds, said that good leaders will also explain the company vision and how team member goals fit into that equation.
“For a leader to motivate and inspire, they need to keep their team in the know about their vision,” he said. “This helps employees understand the end result they’re working towards as a unit. When goals are clearly set, everyone can track progress and identify achievements in a tangible manner.”
Ohlrich also stressed the importance of explaining how these goals impact the organization as a whole. She said that, regardless of seniority level, every employee should be able to articulate how the work they do supports the success of the company.
Don’t let team member goals go static. Periodically revisit goals to modify or rearrange them as needed. This will let your team members know that you are present and aware of what they are working on.
7. Give direct feedback about performance.
Taso Du Val, CEO and founder of the Toptal freelance talent network, said direct, honest feedback – even if it’s criticism – is the best way to guide your team in the right direction. You also need to know exactly where your business is headed so you can give them the right advice.
“If you’re not direct, people won’t know what you truly think about them and their work, and they will never be able to improve,” Du Val said. “If you don’t know the precise direction your company is headed, no matter how much you’ve communicated to your employees and leadership team regarding their individual performance, they will flounder when it comes to making decisions and taking actions. Once those basic principles are in place, deadlines, regular product plans, performance reviews, structure and processes can easily be put into place.”
In addition to providing constructive feedback and performance reviews, highlight employee accomplishments. If a team member does something great, let them know. Celebrate their wins and thank them for their hard work.
“Positive recognition will create an environment of productivity,” said Shah. “Acknowledging successes by outlining how it impacts the business, rather than with vague pats on the back, is not only encouraging but also helps a person work better in the long run.”
8. Ask for feedback on your leadership.
Your team members aren’t the only ones who can benefit from honest feedback. A true self-assessment of your leadership can be difficult, so mentors, fellow professionals and even your own staff are invaluable in evaluating your effectiveness. According to St. Marie, talking to friends and peers can give you a necessary perspective on your leadership style and approach.
Leadership coaching can also help you discover areas where you need improvement. A professional who helps you develop a plan to achieve your leadership goals can be more motivational than books and seminars alone.
“Coaching allows leaders to make the connection and apply [changes] in a real-life setting,” Iorio said. “You need time to integrate, process and reflect, and unless you go through those steps, you won’t have sustainable change.”
Fazlyev agreed, noting that your team can give you critical insight into what’s working, what’s not working and what obstructions you must overcome to achieve success.
9. Be open to new ideas.
Good leaders have the emotional intelligence to understand and accept that change is inevitable. Instead of trying to maintain a status quo just for the sake of consistency, embrace change and innovation. Be open to new ideas and alternative ways of thinking. Everyone brings a unique perspective to the table, and that is something to take advantage of, not discourage.
“When you’re open to hearing the thoughts of the talent around you is when you truly embrace every possibility and potential,” said Shah. “See things through till the end. Understand that there will be errors along the way, but if something doesn’t work, try to figure out why and how before scrapping it.”
When solving a problem, encourage team members to provide their insights. When employees feel like they can openly bring new ideas to the table, true innovation, engagement and success can prevail.
10. Understand your own motivation.
If a person in a leadership position views their role as “just a job,” it’s going to show. To be an effective leader, you need the right motivation. Is it the money or the prestige you care about, or do you sincerely want to inspire people to do their best?
St. Marie advised leaders to really ask themselves why they want to lead. “I look at leadership as an honor and a vocation. If, in your heart, you feel leadership is your destiny and how you’ll make a difference in this world, then you are certainly starting from the right place.”
In addition to what motivates you, Ohlrich said it is important to know what decreases your energy. “Knowing your strengths and weaknesses help you diversify your team and get a well-rounded portfolio of skills. It helps you not hire carbon copies of yourself and surround yourself with others who are not like you.”
Your leadership style plays a role in how you interact with employees and should be evaluated as well. There are nine different leadership styles, and the best leaders are able to adapt each style to their situations and employees. If you are currently in a leadership role and aren’t sure where you stand on some of these qualities, you can take a quick leadership self-assessment quiz from the Leading With Courage Academy to assess your leadership abilities.
Remember that being a good leader takes time. Although some individuals are naturally inclined to have good leadership skills, it is something anyone can learn and improve upon. With hard work, dedication and strategic planning, you can lead your team to success.
Need more help with Improving your leadership, or have some questions on how we can help you achieve your goals? Reach out to us below! Also make sure to subscribe to our newsletter here!
Schooley, S., 2022. How to Be a Good Leader - businessnewsdaily.com. [online] Business News Daily. Available at: <https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/4991-effective-leadership-skills.html> [Accessed 14 June 2022].
*This excerpt is pulled from the aforementioned link, Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statutes that might otherwise be infringing.
