The best leadership talent often comes from within your organisation. They understand the organisation and have proven their worth over time. They’ve grown and developed within the business and are committed to its values and goals. Identifying this talent and enabling them to grow and develop can be transformative, not only for the individual but also for the organisation.
Companies that are committed to the development of their employees always ensure a constant talent stream moving forward into leadership roles. While you may want or need to supplement your team with outside candidates, a core of people who have developed their skills within your organisation can give you a real competitive advantage.
Developing the best talent begins with identifying that talent. Looking for signs of good leadership skills is essential to succession planning in any business.
What are the signs of good leadership skills?
While different leaders have different strengths and weaknesses, signs of good leadership skills in your existing employees might include:
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Proactivity
Employees who are proactive and willing to take the initiative when required in their current role may be candidates for leadership roles. The ability to make proactive decisions without needing instructions is critical for effective leadership.
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Flexibility
Alongside a willingness to take the initiative, the ability to be flexible and adapt when necessary is another sign of good leadership skills in potential candidates. If an employee has demonstrated a willingness to change course or adapt conventional ways of working, then this indicates an adaptive nature essential to effective leadership.
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Clear Communication
Great leaders don’t have to be complete extroverts, but they do need to be clear in their communications. In practice, this means not only having the ability to communicate a clear message and give instructions but also to actively listen. Quieter employees can sometimes be better listeners and the clearest in their communication style so shouldn’t be overlooked.
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Problem-Solving
Employees who can think creatively when faced with a problem are potentially exhibiting signs of good leadership skills. Problem-solving is a key asset for any leader, enabling them to move projects forward and respond to challenges.
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Conflict Resolution
Inevitably, conflicts and disagreements arise within any organisation. Finding effective ways to manage these conflicts so that everyone feels listened to and valued is an essential leadership skill. When conflicts are allowed to fester and grow, the consequences for an organisation can be considerable.
Using leadership assessment tools to identify future leaders
At Leadership Success, our key leadership assessment tools can help you identify and assess potential leaders within your organisation. They test for a variety of aptitudes and behavioural qualities that are clear signs of good leadership skills while providing insight into areas of development for future leadership candidates. They can support leadership development programmes that add value to your organisation.
With the right tools, you can ensure you have a skilled and motivated leadership pipeline ready to step into leadership roles when required.
The Leadership Success suite of assessment tools is comprehensive and easy to deploy across leaders and individual contributors.
Contact our experienced friendly team today to find out more.
