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Pass on the baton by grooming
Successful teams are made of people who are the super achievers. They like to lead the team in times of crisis. No matter however tough the situation is they do not accept defeat and find a way to win.Such super achievers love to be in control and want to be in the limelight. Eager to be recognised as saviours and make the winning shot in the last moment, they love to make that irresistible sales pitch in a make or break business negotiation with a
client or come up with that crucial solution to a difficult problem. People with such qualities are found in leadership roles in teams.
However, the problem with such super achievers is that they always want to have the spotlight on them and are unwilling to recognise or promote others in the team, even those with the potential to be vital players. This is a self-defeating stand because one cannot be a true leader unless one can nurture leadership skills in others and knows when to pass on the baton.
Some leaders just do not want to pass on the ball to others when it comes to promoting others with similar leadership qualities in the team.
They want all the focus on themselves and lack the foresight to develop other leaders. More importantly, they do not want to let go of the control and the power that comes with being the sole leader in the team.
There are some leaders who while recognising the importance of developing future leaders are not sure of how to go about it.
They think of passing the baton as a one-time move and think their job is over once they assign the role to somebody. They do not give importance to the process of nurturing leaders in the team nor the time and attention it deserves.
The best leaders are those who give the necessary time and attention to develop leaders in their team and groom them so well that they are ready to face any situation. Here are some tips on how to groom the right leaders for your team:
As a manager you will have to first learn how to spot qualities essential to develop as a leader.
Look for the following inherent qualities in potential leaders- intuition, creativity, passion for the job and willingness to shoulder responsibilities.
The next step is to train these members by first letting them handle simple situations and gradually advance to complex situations. Handling simple problems successfully will give them that vital sense of confidence besides helping to determining if they have the quality, character, responsibility and focus to do their work successfully.
Once members with leadership potential have been identified and are able to prove themselves, you should let them handle critical situations but ensure that you can step in to help if situations get difficult. Gradually, let them handle situations on their own but let them be minor.
As their leader, once you have gained confidence in their abilities, you can let them handle complex situations and solve difficult problems on their own, till then it is necessary to hold their hand and guide them.
Some leaders may be reluctant to take the responsibility to groom future leaders for their team. In fact, they might prefer to continue leading and grab the limelight always. This may be ideal in the short-term but in the long term, these leaders do not move ahead into the next level of leadership.
They may continue to do the same things over the years. Whereas when leaders take on the responsibility of grooming future leaders, not only are their leadership qualities appreciated but also for their foresight.
Ultimately, this initiative will help in building a team of people who have the right qualities to lead the team to greater heights.
Hema .G
faqs@cnkonline.com
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