Building the readiness of any leadership pipeline can find powerful challenges in a no-normal world. Let’s face it, in an era of totally disconnected events, it is often a matter of opinion as to whether human skills development even pays bottom-line dividends, and many training delivery methods are no longer affordable or effective.
Sometimes it’s as if we’re attempting to implant not just their competency – but their commitment as well. The 21st century demands the highest quality of leadership. However, filling our pipelines with ready candidates is more difficult than ever.
Let’s take a look then at a few simple truths that might help guarantee, or at least diagnose the viability of your leadership pipeline:
Finding a higher calling – if moving into management is all about money, power or perks your pipeline will leak at the junctures of downturn, acquisition, and even growth. You cannot buy commitment; it only elevates your zero-base.
Following the Law of 29 – it takes a multi-touch approach to allow for habit formation and affirmation. Becoming a leader, a first-class noticer of others, is not a once and done proposition.
Using the Rule of 3 – look for patterns of behavior or achievement. Three is the minimum number of data points it takes to establish or discard a pattern. Don’t jump at the first flash of a candidate’s promise. But, when it’s obvious to everyone but you that a candidate lacks potential, examine your own motives.
Measuring it will change it – publishing of metrics against which candidates will be measured defines the arena. We used to believe that if you can measure it you can change it – we’ve since learned that simply measuring will impact outcomes. Don’t leave your people wondering what the critical success factors of selection criteria will be.
Inspire, or at the very least, unsettle – you can’t create motivation, but sometimes you can be a catalyst to help another get started, a catalyst for movement. Short-term, extrinsic motivation can help overcome inertia. Longer term, intrinsic motives must take over or momentum dies.
Equipping, not just educating – as you develop your leadership pipeline don’t settle for simple knowledge transfer. Action learning and real-time coaching is what moves from vision to results.
These few simple truths can strengthen your leadership pipeline ten-fold while giving you the courage to free your leader within.
