What do you do if your team's leadership skills need development?

When you don't know where you are going, all roads lead there. Often business owners jump into making plans without doing the assessment of current situation. To initiate the development of leadership skills within a team, it's imperative to first assess the current scenario. I've consistently stressed the significance of delving into the existing leadership landscape. This involves comprehensive evaluations through feedback sessions, performance assessments, and 360-degree reviews. By gaining a clear understanding of the team's current leadership dynamics, tailored and effective strategies for skill development can be implemented. This initial assessment lays the groundwork for a targeted and impactful leadership development journey.

Developing the leadership skills of your team is not only a necessity but an opportunity to cultivate a mindset of continuous improvement and propel your team toward high performance. Start by assessing the current situation using methods such as surveys and interviews, but look beyond technical skills. Investigate the attitudes and willingness to grow of each team member. Identify not only the existing skills but also the readiness to learn and evolve. The key lies in fostering a culture of continuous development.

In addition to individual skills, consider team dynamics and organizational culture. Also, involve team members in self-assessment to encourage self-awareness and ownership of their development. Finally, ensure alignment between leadership skills and organizational goals for maximum impact.

Assessing the current situation and profiles with the application of targeted tools can greatly help in creating a mapping of essential competencies for organizational change.

You can't get anywhere if you don't know where you are. I have seen businesses making plans without actually getting into a self-analysis at the start. Accessing the current leadership landscape is a critical starting point in steering a team towards skill development. I have always found that conducting a thorough assessment of the existing leadership strengths and weaknesses provides valuable insights. This could involve feedback sessions, performance evaluations, and 360-degree assessments. Understanding the current state of leadership sets the stage for targeted and effective development strategies tailored to the team's specific needs.

You absolutely must be clear in your expectations of your leaders. If there are updates or reports due, make sure there are clear deadlines established. And do not allow those deadlines to slip. My mentor taught me, "The least you accept is the most you can expect." If you allow deadlines to slip, they will tend to always slip in the future.

Ensure alignment between individual and team goals with organizational objectives. Regularly revisit and adjust goals based on progress and changing needs. Encourage accountability and celebrate milestones to maintain motivation.

Macro progress goals will need to be broken down into steps and smaller goals. This will allow for the necessary adjustments in building progress results.

El paso siguiente a fijar el objetivo y determinar el punto de partida es establecer metas claras y realistas. Si pesas 120 kg y la última vez que hiciste deporte fue en clase de gimnasia del instituto, quizás no sea muy realista pensar que puedas correr un maratón dentro de 16 semanas. Hay gente que lo piensa porque lo lee en un artículo. Esto que parece muy exagerado lo veo muy frecuentemente en las empresas en que pretenden correr antes que andar y establecen objetivos irreales, que lo único que consiguen es desmotivar a las personas y que ni siquiera se planteen intentar lo mínimo porque los ven inalcanzables. Mejor ir caso a paso y crecer aunque sea un poco que marcarnos metas a las que, claramente, no vamos a llegar.

For setting clear and realistic goals for leadership development: Involve Your Team: Ensure they contribute to goal-setting, increasing motivation and commitment. 🤝 Potentially Use Positional Contracts linked with KPI/OKRs Criteria: For clear Goals & Targets (smart goals are beaten to death and not followed as much now)

Accelerating the development of your team's leadership skills can be achieved through the implementation of a group mentoring program. This strategy not only expedites individual growth but also fosters collective progress by aligning mindsets toward shared goals. Immersed in a collaborative environment, your team not only advances more rapidly but also solidifies their leadership skills in a robust and unified manner. The key to this dynamic lies in the synergy among team members, who, through sharing experiences and knowledge, significantly amplify their leadership capabilities. This approach creates a fabric of trust and cooperation that translates into a more powerful and effective collective leadership.

Si quieres que tu equipo se desarrolle en liderazgo tienes que enfrentarlos a situaciones que no hayan vivido antes, que sean desafiantes y que le haga salir de su zona de certidumbre. Mantener las mismas conversaciones que siempre, buscar los mismos retos o afrontar una y otra vez lo que no han conseguido en el pasado desde el mismo ángulo no les va a hacer crecer. Tienes que buscar oportunidades de aprendizaje relevantes y continuas que les supongan afrontarlas desde perspectivas diferentes que les obliguen a pensar e intentar cosas que nunca hayan hecho. Fallarán, pero crecerán, que s lo que tienes que buscar, que desarrollen su capacidad de liderazgo y eso no lo harán desde repetir lo que cada día realizan.

Consider offering personalized coaching or mentoring sessions tailored to each team member's development areas. Encourage knowledge sharing within the team to foster a culture of continuous learning and growth. Implement regular feedback loops to evaluate the effectiveness of learning opportunities and adjust as needed.

The application of job rotation will be a very interesting tool in building leveling and exchanging experiences for the evolution of essential skills for achieving organizational success.

After our team sees success in their areas of strength, we help them evolve, tasking them in their weaker areas, while providing mostly in house mentoring and training on how to do these things. When they trust that we recognize what they are capable of, they are more confident and work harder to get better in their weaker areas.

People don't do what you expect. They only do what you inspect. If you take the time to inspect what they have done and provide constructive feedback on their work, they will be greatful. Because they will better understand what is expected of them. Then they will be able to grow, learn, and comprehend what they will need to do better. Which will give them real pride in their progress.

Make feedback sessions interactive by encouraging open dialogue and active listening. Provide specific examples to illustrate points and offer actionable suggestions for improvement. Consider implementing 360-degree feedback to gather insights from peers and subordinates, fostering a culture of feedback exchange. Lastly, follow up on feedback discussions to track progress and demonstrate your commitment to their growth.

Feedback and feedforward are tools that will need to be constantly applied to build results and evolve people. These tools will create a feedback process for the management system.

Do not allow your leaders to operate in the dark. Hold regular "meetings" to evaluate performance and progress. Provide praise along with opportunities to improve. In many instances, I even ask, "Are you open to hearing suggestions on how you might make this better?" And always provide "negative" feedback in private, not in front of their peers or subordinates.

To enhance leadership skills through feedback: Regular Feedback: Provide consistent feedback, not just at project ends. 🔄 Balance Feedback: Combine positive remarks with constructive criticisms. ⚖️ Focus on Behavior: Address actions rather than personal attributes. 🎯 Sandwich Method: Encapsulate constructive feedback between positive comments. 🥪 Effective feedback fosters growth and positive change.

Ignite motivation with creative recognition: Celebrate All Wins: Highlight both major achievements and small victories. 🎉 Diverse Rewards: Offer praise, bonuses, or new opportunities tailored to individual achievements. 🏆🎁 Fair and Meaningful: Ensure rewards reflect the effort and impact, fostering a culture of appreciation. ✨ What has come up in the research is that sometimes the most cost effective and meaningful rewards have the most impact - Bit like Double tree fresh cookies impression or a personalised Handwritten thank you notes expressing specific appreciation. 📝

Este punto es fundamental, y a diferencia de lo que muchas veces puedes pensar, un reconocimiento positivo puede ser “has cometido un error”… siguiendo con: “pero no pasa nada, sé que puede hacerlo perfectamente, confía en ti pero tendríamos que mejorar este aspecto”. Todo ello sin equivocarnos , porque de dar este tipo de recogimiento a uno destructivo hay solo un paso:”esto es un desastre, es la quinta vez que te lo digo, no pone atención.” La gente puede vivir con reconocimiento positivo e incluso,hasta con reconocimiento negativo, pero lo que no puede vivir es con cero reconocimiento.

Beyond traditional rewards, consider personalized recognition tailored to each team member's preferences and achievements. Highlight the specific leadership qualities they've demonstrated and tie rewards to developmental milestones. Additionally, foster a culture where peer recognition is encouraged, promoting camaraderie and collaboration.

L'important pour le manager sera de récompenser surtout les efforts et le processus. En effet, si l'équipe s'est mise en ordre de progrès, la démarche positive est mise en place. Il serait dommage que le manager ne reconnaisse pas la mise en route... et cela risquerait d'avoir l'effet inverse. Je propose d'encourager les efforts mis en place indépendamment des résultats atteints. Cela confortera l'équipe dans sa démarche de changement.

Recognition is hugely important in team leadership. Too often it’s based on productivity and profit rather than personal development. Basing recognition on sales alone is the quickest way to divide teams. Studies have shown that if a leader’s value is based on sales alone that it diminishes their overall performance. Finding unique ways to reward leaders for a variety of accomplishments like improving morale, implementing inclusivity, decreasing stress levels and improving balance is key to the retention and improvement of staff members on every level. Additionally, not everyone is motivated by the same goal so being creative with rewards and motivation is crucial to success and growth for teams. Establishing expectations is critical, too.

Continuous improvement is a terrific plan, it's easier to make little adjustments along the way to ensure success than to scrap everything and start over. That said, it's also important to allow enough time for things to take effect and work before making changes. Finding that balance is key when reviewing and adjusting.

When I engage with a company, I follow these steps: 1) Get to know all the people as employees and as people. What they do, like, have a passion for, their aspirations, talents and skills they possess that might not be tapped into, how to better involve them and challenge them. 2) Get to know the history and current state of the company. Understanding the genesis of how the organization came to where it is and of course where it wants to go. 3) Involve employees in crafting a plan and empower them to execute through clear expectations and alignment of the goals, objectives and tasks. Monitor progress. 4) Do all this through an adaptive leadership approach, spend time one-on-one and in small groups. It all starts with a trust level.

Here is a simple summary, that I learned in my career of 35+ years. First, understand where your team stands – their strengths and areas to grow. Make learning a habit; workshops and mentors help. Be clear about expectations and check progress regularly. Tailor strategies to their needs for a collaborative leadership style. Assess, learn, communicate, adapt – it's your recipe for strong, personal leadership growth.

All leadership development programs could be a lot more effective if they combine an overall approach with an individual approach. The overall approach focuses on the common purpose and it creates a common language to lead within an organization. This could include programs like Situational Leadership, The 21 Laws or John Maxwell’s 5 Levels of Leadership. This approach incorporates processes that are unanimous in an organization. The individual approach focuses on each leader’s self-awareness, personality and communication style and it helps increase their own effectiveness with people. This could include programs like the Maxwell Method of DISC, EQ or Working Genius. This approach focuses more on self-leadership.

I was part of a Leadership Development Program in Automotive that has been around since the 50s. I can tell you that most programs have a few things in common but the most important and impactful of them all is a Mentor or what they called it in my company, a Sponsor. Having an experienced and passionate individual steer you through possible assignments and strategize about how to move forward in your career is paramount in becoming a leader!

Desde mi experiencia con Equipos Comerciales,6 recomendaciones: -Ser capaz de trasladar al Equipo de que en Venta ejercer el Liderazgo del Proceso de Comunicación con el Cliente es fundamental -Acompañar y observar in situ el nivel real de liderazgo individual -Evaluar por cuartiles el grado de proactividad, empatía, asertividad, resiliencia individual y grupal -Expandir el talento del cuartil superior,remplazar por otros profesionales al inferior y formar en Liderazgo a todos -Completar Formado individualmente de acuerdo al DISC & Multiinteligencia personal y su manera natural de liderar,comunicar y vender -Evaluar y reiniciar periódicamente Sin Liderazgo Situacional por parte del Líder del Equipo esto es difícil de conseguir

Consider implementing a targeted leadership development program if your team's leadership skills need development. Start by conducting a thorough assessment to identify specific areas of improvement. Provide relevant training and workshops to enhance leadership capabilities, focusing on communication, decision-making, conflict resolution, and strategic thinking. Encourage mentorship and coaching relationships within the team. Foster a culture of continuous learning and feedback. Consider external resources such as leadership seminars, conferences, or hiring leadership coaches. Regularly assess progress and adjust the development program to ensure ongoing improvement.