Those at the top of their game—whether work or sports—keep us amazed at their continued progress and success. Many times, they bring new approaches to their work, are able to leapfrog their peers in terms of success, and continually exceed performance standards.
While top performers are drivers of organizational success, it’s important to remember the whole is always greater than the sum of the parts: Top-performing organizations do not simply consist of a collection of top performers. Those who connect, manage and lead these employees and others are critical to the overall success of the organization.
Traditionally, companies would look to the top-performing member of a team as the eventual team leader. Sometimes this worked—but many times it didn’t. The reason is that technical success in a job is not a good predictor of someone’s ability to lead and manage others.
Top-performing managers and leaders demonstrate strong people-management skills that allow them to leverage the strengths of their team for improved performance. While a top performer may accomplish the work in the most successful way, they do not automatically have the skills to engage and drive a team to do the same.
What makes a good manager?
What are the skills needed to effectively manage people? Every researcher and HR professional will likely share a slightly different answer to that question. However, there are several skills that pop up frequently on that list: adaptability, empathy, conflict management, influence and resilience are just a few.
While there are many leadership skills that contribute to great leadership, the more important question is how to develop those in future leaders. Two approaches to developing leadership skills are executive coaching and leadership development programs.
Executive coaching provides a one-on-one opportunity for leaders to deepen their problem-solving skills, leverage their strengths and address areas of development. Executive coaches create a confidential space for leaders to bring everyday challenges and development opportunities and expand their thinking around themselves and their actions.
Working with an executive coach allows leaders to dig into specific work situations and build out solutions as well as tackle hard conversations. It creates a space for leaders to explore areas of development and find opportunities to grow their skills in the workplace. Many leaders find the opportunity to work with an executive coach an effective way to focus on their own specific leadership needs.
Developing leadership
Another approach to building leadership skills is engaging in a leadership development program. While there are institutions that provide this service, organizations can also craft their own programs to provide the needed leadership skills for their leaders. These programs can be designed to deliver leadership content, provide an opportunity for on-the-job practice, and create a shared learning space with peers.
An added benefit of these programs is they allow participants to build relationships with each other along the way. Leaders of different departments may work in silos and not interact much with their colleagues. These programs create a comfortable space where they can network with each other and discuss solutions to common leadership challenges.
These discussions create enhanced relationships and increase the likelihood of future collaboration between the participants. Someone who might have responded curtly in an email to an unfamiliar colleague might now pick up the phone to problem-solve together. The combination of classroom learning and application of newly developed skills on the job create an ideal learning environment. Leadership development programs should be customized to your organization in terms of content, culture and level of participant experience.
Whether you consider providing opportunities to your leaders for executive coaching or access to leadership development programs, make sure you are asking the right question when promoting someone into a leadership role: Do they have the skills necessary to engage the team and leverage their strengths for future success?
Bethany Denning is a certified senior professional in human resources (SPHR) and is a partner in the Lexington human resources firm of People Pinnacle (peoplepinnacle.com).
