Ever heard the saying, “Leaders aren’t born, they’re made”? Well, it’s true. Even a natural leader needs a little polishing. If you’re a business owner or manager, odds are you’ve got an eye on the next generation of leaders within your company. But how do you take your team from good to great? How can you inspire them to step up, take charge, and lead effectively?
Learning how to develop leadership skills in employees isn’t as intimidating as it sounds. With the right approach, you can pinpoint potential, foster employee development, and create an environment where leadership thrives.
Spotting Leadership Potential
Before investing in development, it helps to identify who’s got leadership written all over them. Keep in mind that leadership potential doesn’t always equal the loudest voice in the room. Sometimes, it’s the quiet problem solver or the empathetic listener who has what it takes.
Here’s what to keep an eye on when deciding how to develop leadership skills in employees:
- Problem-Solving Skills: Do they think on their feet and come up with creative solutions?
- Adaptability: How do they manage the unexpected? Leaders thrive on adapting when the plan changes.
- Initiative: Do they take ownership of their work, or do they need constant direction?
- Empathy and Communication: Great leaders know when to listen and how to communicate effectively.
Pro tip? Watch how they handle group scenarios—team projects, brainstorming sessions, or even an unexpected change in a schedule. Behavior in these instances can say a lot about leadership potential.
Fostering Leadership Traits in Daily Work
Now that you’ve identified potential, it’s time to nurture it. Leadership isn’t taught in a day—it’s a practice. Incorporate development opportunities into day-to-day tasks and encourage the traits you want to see.
1. Encourage Measured Risks
Leaders need to become comfortable with calculated risk-taking. Providing employees with the space to make decisions (and occasional mistakes) helps them build decision-making confidence. Whether it’s leading a small initiative or tackling a challenging project, encourage them to take ownership and innovate.
2. Introduce Micro Leadership Roles
Not everyone is ready to lead an entire team, and that’s okay! Start small. For example, ask employees to lead a project meeting or take charge of a single task from start to finish. These smaller-scale leadership roles help build confidence and allow you to see how they handle more responsibility.
3. Provide Growth Opportunities
Growth doesn’t always require a fancy new title. Leadership growth can be embedded into your training programs, team meetings, and projects. Start by sending employees to workshops, offering access to online courses, or encouraging participation in cross-departmental projects. All of these create opportunities to stretch those leadership muscles.
Not All Roads Lead to Leadership (And That’s Okay)
One of the biggest mistakes companies make is promoting someone into a leadership role for the wrong reasons. High performance in a current role doesn’t always translate to leadership success (notice we said “leadership” and not “management”). Think about it—your best coder might crash and burn under the weight of leading a team.
Instead, rethink how people traditionally develop leadership skills in employees. Different roles require different types of leadership skills. Employees can lead a project, team initiative, or a client relationship without becoming a “manager”. Acknowledging and rewarding these forms of leadership helps avoid placing people in roles they’re not suited for.
What About Small Businesses With Little Room for Promotions?
“But what if our company doesn’t have traditional ‘upward mobility’,” you ask? Leadership doesn’t have to be about climbing a corporate ladder. Small businesses can foster leadership by:
- Encouraging employees to lead within their current roles.
- Allowing employees to drive innovation in certain areas, like social media campaigns or office processes.
- Highlighting their leadership to your clients, giving them more opportunities to shine.
Small businesses are agile and relationship-driven, which means the leadership opportunities are often creative, flexible, and outside the traditional box.
Action Items for Building an Empowered Team
The best leaders know leadership is about elevating others. With a thoughtful process, you can create an environment that creates leaders at every level.
If you’ve decided on how to develop leadership skills in employees, here’s what you can start today:
- Identify leadership potential in your team.
- Create spaces for thoughtful risk-taking and independent decision-making.
- Establish mentorship opportunities and feedback sessions.
- Focus on continual learning through training and certifications.
- Redefine leadership beyond traditional management roles.
- Celebrate wins—both big and small—along the way.
Learn how we developed our employees at a small family-owned company to become leaders at work and in the community with our mission (and now employee development software) Build Then Bless.
