When I was first promoted to manager, all I knew about leadership was what I saw others doing.
I was lucky to have a brilliant boss who didn't follow the old-school traditional rules, i.e., being hierarchical, having an inflated ego, and trying to have all the answers.
I fumbled along, making mistakes and occasionally getting it right.
So, if you are in the business of identifying and building future leaders - read on.
Future leaders are not born; they are developed strategically and deliberately. This blog will explore strategies for identifying and nurturing potential leaders and how leadership coaching can support first-time managers.
(82%) of managers entering their management positions have not received any formal management or leadership training. Chartered Management Institute
Contents
Identifying Potential Leaders
Look Beyond Performance
While performance is an important indicator, it’s not the only factor to consider. Look for individuals willing to take on new challenges, show resilience in adversity, and care about others. These traits often indicate a potential for leadership roles.
Create Diverse Hiring Teams
Bias in promotion processes related to gender, age, race, and education can result in a homogeneous workforce, hindering creativity and innovation.
In fact, in 2020 the World Economic Forum reported that organisations fostering an inclusive culture can see up to 20% higher rates of innovation compared to their market average.
Ensure hiring teams are diverse to encourage a variety of perspectives and reduce the impact of bias.
Some biases include:
Unconscious Bias: Managers may unknowingly favour candidates who resemble current leaders, overlooking deserving employees.
Implicit Bias: Stereotypes or perceived similarities with decision-makers can influence who is seen as capable of taking on more responsibility.
Unfamiliarity Bias: Internal candidates may be overlooked for external hires due to an unconscious preference for less familiar candidates.
Affinity Bias: The unconscious tendency to favour individuals with similar interests, backgrounds, or experiences with us... promoting mini-me.
Solicit 360 Feedback
Gather feedback from peers, subordinates, and supervisors to view an individual’s capabilities. This 360-degree feedback can provide insights into how others perceive their leadership potential and areas where they may need development. Include people from different backgrounds, departments, and levels in the leadership identification process to bring varied perspectives and reduce individual biases.
Focus on Skills and Competencies
Focusing on personality or cultural fit can be a misleading game. Instead, evaluate candidates based on specific leadership competencies and skills required for the role rather than subjective factors like personality or cultural fit.
This is shown in results of studies by Textio. In analysing job performance feedback, Textio identified strong patterns of bias. For example, women are more likely to receive feedback about their personalities than men.
Women receive 22% more personality feedback than men.
And...
Women are 11 times more likely than men to report being described as “abrasive” in performance reviews (Textio).
Textio found this feedback was significantly stereotype-biased across both racial groups and genders. For example, women are more likely to be described as "collaborative", "helpful" and "nice", while men are more likely to be described as "confident" and "ambitious".
Also bear in mind that high-quality feedback leads to faster growth, higher earnings, and quicker employee promotions. Groups receiving the lowest-quality feedback are also consistently underrepresented in corporate leadership.
Challenges Experienced By First-Time Managers
Before diving into strategies for developing potential leaders, it's important to consider some of the challenges first-time managers often face.
And challenges can be a-plenty with first-time leaders likely reaching their new positions feeling overwhelmed, underprepared and ill-equipped. This isn't particularly surprising considering a study by the Chartered Management Institute which found that the vast majority (82%) of managers entering their management positions have not received any formal management or leadership training.
Particularly without support, being a leader for the first time can feel like being thrown into the deep end of the pool - it's exciting, but also a bit terrifying. So, being aware of how first-time managers might be feeling and what they need is key in developing and retaining effective leaders.
Common obstacles first-time managers face include:
Delegating effectively: Identifying which tasks to do themselves versus assigning to subordinates.
Leading former peers: Transitioning from colleague to superior while maintaining positive relationships and gaining respect.
Balancing workload: Learning to lead while still being productive employees themselves.
Driving team achievement: Providing leadership and guidance, especially with unclear directions or expectations.
Navigating the organisation: Asserting opinions to upper management and understanding company structure, culture, and politics.
Motivating and inspiring team members: Encouraging others to meet or surpass expectations.
Holding people accountable: Overcoming discomfort with giving feedback, especially negative feedback.
Coaching and developing others: Mentoring team members and holding coaching conversations.
Resolving interpersonal conflicts: Addressing issues between team members proactively and reactively.
Prioritising competing demands: Balancing various responsibilities and learning to delegate appropriately.
Shifting to an "organisation first" mentality: Adapting to the new perspective required for leadership.
Managing diverse personalities and goals: Adjusting leadership styles to suit different team members.
Developing Potential Leaders
I had my first leadership training about ten years into my career - when I was a director. The training was underwhelming. It involved two days in a workshop with consultants sharing PowerPoint slides about the difference between a leader and a manager. Think creatively about how you can grow future leaders through longer-term support.
Offer Leadership Coaching for First-Time Managers
Leadership coaching is a great way to develop potential leaders at all levels. First-time managers need support in transitioning from individual contributor roles to leadership positions. Coaching can help new leaders tune into strengths and develop soft skills, such as relationship building, listening, delegation, giving and receiving feedback, and performance management. Specifically, leadership coaching can help develop:
Self-awareness: Coaching helps new managers understand their leadership style, strengths, and blind spots. This self-awareness is crucial for effective leadership.
Leadership skills: From communication to conflict resolution, coaching can help develop essential leadership skills.
Confidence: Many first-time managers struggle with imposter feelings. Coaching can boost their confidence and help them own their new role.
Problem-solving: Coaches can act as sounding boards, helping new managers work through challenges and develop their own problem-solving skills.
Goal setting: Coaching helps new managers set clear, achievable goals for themselves and their team.
Stress management: The transition to management can be stressful. Coaching can provide strategies for managing this stress and maintaining work-life balance.
Feedback and accountability: Regular coaching sessions provide a structured environment for receiving feedback and staying accountable to one's development goals.
Peer Coaching Circles
Peer coaching circles have gained significant traction as a collaborative way for organisations to develop their employees and leaders. A peer coaching circle is a structured, collaborative learning experience where a small group of colleagues meets regularly to aid in each other's growth. Usually made up of 5 or 6 members, these circles offer a safe and confidential environment for new managers to discuss challenges, investigate solutions, and gain feedback from their peers.
Provide Growth Assignments
One of the most effective ways to nurture potential leaders is to provide them with challenging assignments that stretch their abilities. These assignments should push them out of their comfort zones and require them to develop new skills and competencies.
Leadership Development Camps
Send first-time managers to a leadership development camp. This is an innovative approach which is offering something a little different in the leadership training and development world. They are immersive, providing experiential learning in offsite settings, and can be a great vehicle for providing growth assignments. When combined with coaching, leadership development camps can really pack a positive punch.
Encourage Learning Agility
Potential leaders need a high degree of learning agility. This means they can quickly adapt to new situations, learn from experiences, and apply their knowledge in diverse contexts. Encouraging learning agility can help nurture individuals capable of growing into leadership roles. This means giving people opportunities in a supported way.
Offer Equitable Access to Mentorship
Mentorship can be highly effective in nurturing potential leaders. In the past, underrepresented groups did not have as large of an internal network as those from the majority group. Get creative about how you approach mentoring and design your approach with inclusion in mind. Pair potential leaders with experienced mentors who can provide guidance, share their experiences, and offer support. Mentorship can help potential leaders navigate their career paths and develop the skills needed for leadership roles.
Reverse Mentoring
Consider reverse mentoring, where senior leaders (the mentee) engage with individuals at a more junior level (the mentor). However, ensure reverse mentoring is tied to your diversity, equity and inclusion goals and go in with a good plan (10 Reverse Mentoring Tips).
Recommended Books for First-Time Managers
The Advice Trap - Michel Bungay Stanier
This is not just for first-time managers! Anyone who leads will find this transformative. The author challenges the conventional approach to leadership and problem-solving through advice-giving. Stanier introduces the concept of the Advice Monster, which represents the instinct to offer solutions rather than fostering curiosity and deeper understanding. By cultivating curiosity and resisting the urge to give advice, readers can enhance their leadership effectiveness and create a more supportive work environment. This book was a game-changer for me.
The Making of a Manager - Julie Zhuo
A brilliantly practical guide for new managers, emphasising that effective management is a skill that can be developed rather than an innate talent. As a former VP of Product Design at Facebook, Zhuo outlines the responsibilities of a manager, which include building cohesive teams and supporting individual career growth. I love the focus on learning from mistakes, as we can get obsessed with perfection - and your team is likely to relate to you less if you don't show that you are also an imperfect human.
Radical Candor - Kim Scott
Another Kinkajou favourite that we use in some of our leadership development programmes. Plus, there is a podcast, too. The core idea is that great managers can provide honest, actionable feedback while genuinely showing they care about their team members as human beings. New managers can mimic what they think a boss is meant to be - controlling and having all the answers. It is the opposite of this - empowering and making space for your team to solve real problems. Scott's simple framework emphasises two critical dimensions of leadership: caring personally and challenging directly. Scott led operations teams at Google, overseeing AdSense, YouTube, and DoubleClick projects.
How Women Rise - Sally Helgesen and Marshall Goldsmith
The authors identify 12 habits preventing women from advancing in their careers. I'm not a fan of anything that smells like fixing women to fit into male-dominated environments - this book is not doing that. I like that the book highlights the workplace challenges rooted in societal expectations and self-critical mindsets, which lead to women's reluctance to claim achievements and the perfectionism trap. Highly recommend this for all genders to understand what could be going on for women in your team AND to help anyone with similar self-limiting beliefs.
Conclusion
Identifying and developing potential leaders within an organisation is a strategic process that requires deliberate care and attention. Having an awareness of the challenges first-time managers can face is fundamental in this process. Organisations can develop a robust leadership pipeline to drive long-term success by investing in potential leaders early, and providing challenging assignments and tailored leadership coaching and mentoring.
Remember, developing future leaders isn’t just about filling positions; it’s about shaping your organisation's legacy and ensuring its resilience in the face of future challenges.