Corporate Leadership Development

Successful corporations aren’t just made up of managers and employees, they’re made of talent, potentials, and most discernibly: leaders. It’s why corporate leadership development is so crucial and so heavily invested in across industries. Many businesses have firm boundaries when it comes to employee appraisal. Businesses look outside their company for experienced talents to hold leadership titles and that’s slowly changing.

The traditional mindset of hiring someone outside a company for a management or leadership position has shown much success in improving efficiency and effectiveness of teams in the workplace. So why is the industry changing? 

Recently, it’s been observed that developing leaders from within the company has far better benefits than outsourcing.

Of course this comes with its own backlashes such as nepotism, favoritism, and growth freeze. So, should you hire a leader from within or outsource a talent? That’s what we’ll talk about today

When should you develop a leader?

This is a major question that comes to many business leaders. If team members don’t personally develop on their own, their high skills and talent can hit a ceiling and there’s lost potential. Both homegrown and outsourced leaders cost resources and have different effects to the whole business. Here are the things to consider if you’re stuck with the same question:

Time

Time is both a resource and a constraint when it comes to finding a good leader. If you plan ahead of time, developing a leader from within is easier than looking outside. Training a current employee for the specific functions a manager should know takes time. However, it will save you time and effort in the long run.

An outsourced leader is efficient when the position has become vacant on short notice. This takes away the pressure from the team taking on the responsibilities of the manager. This affects the efficiency of the team and increases the focus the members need to do their jobs.

Culture

Hiring a leader from outside can introduce new cultures for both the new manager and the employees. This is also why finding the right fit is crucial for the seamless transition of the business. Outsourced managers can bring in diversity and mindset shifts that could be beneficial to the organization.

Developing leadership from the current employees needs no cultural transition within the company. This makes communication and collaborations available right away. 

Availability

Although talent within the company may be highly abundant, business leaders look for specific traits when selecting managers or other business leaders. They mainly look for leading potential in candidates to promote. This is normal promotional practice to ensure the quality of leadership within the company.

It’s a totally different story in outsourcing managers. What leaders mainly look for, aside from potential, is experience in handling a team. This ensures that candidates considered for the position have practically experienced facing different personalities and diverse groups

FAQs

• Why is it important to develop leaders?
  • It boosts employee’s morale and gives them motivation to perform better at their tasks. Think of it as a reward plan; if employees exceed expectations and do well in their jobs, they can be promoted to a leadership role. 
• What skills should a leader have?
  • Self-development, group development, critical and strategic thinking, compassion, and innovation are the key skills a leader should have. Remember that leaders influence all the people around them so these skills would really be beneficial for them.
• How do you recognize a leader?
  • They are aware and they know their team. They are appreciative of the team and clearly speak of the wins and failures to further develop performance. Leaders are compassionate in the sense that they know how to go about different personalities in a diverse group. They do not micromanage.

Developing a Leader

Although the process seems daunting, the steps needed to develop a leader are quite simple. It just takes a matter of truly knowing the candidate and the business, and finding the hits and misses in between. Here are traits to enhance developing some areas of leadership.

• Discipline
  • Great leaders have discipline not only within their team but also within themselves. Leadership starts with self-discipline. This doesn’t only help the candidate in managing a team but also trains them in proper decision making.
• Following
  • I know it seems counterintuitive but a good leader knows how to be a good follower. This is a process of learning and unlearning that develops a whole team. Learning to follow keeps the candidate grounded and empathic towards the members of the group.
• Awareness
  • Leaders are the big decision makers which is why they are often aware of situations that need their attention. Having sharp attention to detail makes the decisions of a leader highly precise. This is important when it comes to bid business decisions that affect the whole organization so this skill needs to be constantly refined.
• Collaboration
  • I said it before and I’ll say it again; leaders inspire! Gone are the days of old authoritarian ruling where the team plays Simon says and the leader is always Simon. Nowadays, Teams are more collaborative. Leaders with an open ear for their members’ ideas are often effective in terms of achieving a group’s goal because of the team’s synergy.

• Conflict Resolution
  • Not all teams are perfect which is why conflict usually arises from within. A great leader knows how to resolve and prevent friction within the team through compassion and transparency. This is a classic trait in a leader that has been proven effective in all fields. To refine this skill, the leader must continually seek to develop a sense of justice and fairness in the workplace
    
• Continuous Development
  • Out of all the traits a good leader has, a hunger for continuous development is one of the most important. This trait makes sure that the leadership style implemented on the team is relevant and timely. This benefits the team to be at par with the current trends in management.