When a leadership position becomes available in your organization, who is commonly promoted? If you guessed a high-performing individual contributor, you’re correct. Add to this our awareness that young professionals are interested in promotions sooner than generations before them, you might ask yourself, “How can I help our high-performing young professionals become ready for a role in leadership?”
In our training, coaching and consulting work at Living As A Leader, we see over and over that too much leadership is left to chance. Many leaders show up every day very well intended, doing the best they can…yet they fall short of what organizations need and what employees want. In general, organizations are in serious need of leaders who can effectively balance the accountability for work being accomplished, with inspiring employees. Organizations want results. Employees want fulfillment.
As you support your young professionals, you can dedicate time toward helping them prepare for a role in leadership. Below are four suggestions you can make:
Commit to learning how to be a leader
Encourage your emerging leaders to consciously commit to the study of leadership. They can read books, attend seminars, participate in training, and talk to others who are in leadership. There needs to be a moment in which they will say to themselves, “If I want to be a leader, I will take this interest seriously…because my future employees will deserve a good leader.”
Find a mentor
Help your young professionals identify a leader whom they admire, a leader they would like to learn from. They can ask this person if he or she would be willing to meet every four to six weeks over a cup of coffee. During this time, discussions can include troubleshooting issues and learning what to do and say in a variety of situations. In addition, this is an opportunity to learn from the wisdom and insight of a seasoned leader.
Get comfortable with uncomfortable conversations
This is a fundamental skill. Many leaders, when faced with difficult situations, choose to avoid them. They don’t know what to say. They don’t know what to do. So, they do nothing. If your young professionals can learn how to approach people in a way that shares concern and does not suggest blame, they will be ahead of the curve.
Establish professional standards
Encourage your young professionals to establish standards early in their career. Encourage them to eliminate unprofessional behaviors like talking about others behind their back, talking poorly about the company they work for, using profanity. Ask them to finish the phrase, “I am someone who…” Ideally, they will have five to seven standards to follow unconditionally. Part of their preparation for leadership will be setting themselves apart from others in terms of how they conduct themselves.
Begin today
Send a message to young professionals: “If you aspire toward something bigger than where you are today, begin behaving as if you are already there.” Further, encourage them to be honest about their existing strengths and weaknesses. They can ask others to share answers to three questions: What do I currently do day in and day out that will help me be an effective leader of people? What could I do differently to better position myself to become a leader of people? What else will be helpful for me to know about myself from your perspective?
As emerging leaders in your organization take steps to ready themselves for a role in leadership, reinforce to them: leadership is a privilege and a responsibility It is not a promotion, a title and a pay raise.
I wish you well as you help prepare your young professionals for a journey toward leadership!
