For many business owners, the first and foremost priority is to run the day-to-day operations of their company.
Not only does this mean taking care of employee needs, but also developing leaders at all levels of the company who can seamlessly take over the reins when you’re not around. Here are three tips to help you create an effective leadership development plan in Australia that will certainly help your business thrive while building an impressive team around you that can keep things going when you’re away or on vacation.
1) Start With the Right Mindset
In order to develop your company’s future leaders, you need to make sure that everyone in your organization shares your mission and has an optimistic view of its future. To do that, you should promote a positive mindset and a culture of growth.
Take time to reflect on how leadership is currently being developed at your organization—and then think about how to change things for better results. The more forward-thinking you are, the more potential leaders will emerge from within your business.
However, remember that it may take some time—but they will eventually show up if you create opportunities and support them along their path. Be patient with yourself and have faith in your ability to train others; once you’ve made improvements, those employees will be ready to lead someday soon.
2) Get Everyone on Board
Many leaders assume that senior employees are automatically capable of running things if they were ever put in charge. The truth is that most people aren’t ready to run a business, and getting them there requires special coaching and development.
The worst mistake you can make as a leader is to hand over responsibility without an effective plan to ensure your staff has what it takes—one that enables them to develop into leaders you trust with your company’s future. Start by identifying top performers who have the potential to grow into leadership roles. These should be individuals who show initiative, have strong work ethics, and communicate well with others.
Once you’ve identified these individuals, create individual development plans tailored to their strengths and weaknesses.
3) Make Yourself Vulnerable
There’s no way around it: becoming a better leader means making yourself vulnerable. Good leaders have strong, soft skills—and that means they’re good listeners, they don’t shy away from difficult conversations, and they encourage those around them to speak up and share their thoughts.
The only way to foster these skills is by allowing yourself to open up when it makes sense to do so. Be honest about your shortcomings and find people who will be willing (and able) to provide honest feedback in return. If you want to become an effective leader, it starts with self-awareness.
Good leaders understand their own strengths as well as their weaknesses—it’s hard work but vital if you want your team’s confidence in you and trust in each other.