Five Things to Look for in Future Leaders

In some ways, what it takes to be a good leader hasn’t changed much over the centuries – you want someone who can inspire, someone who will step up to make difficult decisions, someone who is able to set a course and follow it through. But how those attributes manifest has evolved over the years, and in many other ways the role of what a leader is and what they need to be has changed dramatically.

As organisations consider their future they should, of course, be considering their future leaders. And one of the best ways to establish a long-term culture of success is to build from within: taking a look at individuals within an organisation who already understand it and steering them toward leadership roles. Current senior executives and leadership need to develop a keen eye for those who will be able to helm the ship in the future. Otherwise, they risk allowing talent to languish and, ultimately, go elsewhere.

Hopefully, your organisation has good foundations and the people within it will be keen and willing to invest their time and energy into seeing it succeed. So, how do you find the people who will help push your organisation furthest? Here are five things to look for when trying to spot that talent, as well as how to capitalise upon it:

Good leaders are good listeners. One of the key roles of a leader is that of influencer, helping not only to shape an organisation’s direction but also get everyone on board. After all, the best plans in the world mean nothing if your team has no desire or motivation to implement them. A good leader will be able to hear and process the ideas/suggestions/concerns of their colleagues, shaping their message and style to help drive progress.

Good leaders are not always in front. The best leaders help to empower those around them, helping colleagues to increase in confidence and skill. Too often in leadership there is a tendency to look for the do-everything person who effectively shouts, “Follow me,” but better leaders are those who can create a culture where people feel safe and comfortable to take initiative themselves.

Good leaders show initiative. Along with listening and empowering, it is vital that good leaders find ways to act upon what they’ve learned. A good leadership candidate will often be an outside-the-box thinker – resourceful, flexible and determined.

Good leaders can see the silver lining. Optimism is an important aspect of pretty much every venture, be it a start-up business, nonprofit initiative or anything in between. There will be difficult times in your organisation – that’s impossible to avoid. A good leadership candidate will be able to maintain a sense of positivity in those difficult times, using their skills to help motivate others and identify new solutions.

Good leaders are not afraid to lead. A good leader is the person who would make an excellent CEO, not necessarily the person who thinks it would be excellent to have the title of CEO. Spotting the difference can be tricky, but a good leadership candidate will show a willingness to take on responsibility and demonstrate discipline and resilience when working to achieve goals.

None of the above attributes will yet be fully formed in a potential leader; they need to be nurtured and guided. That’s a reality that can be difficult for current leadership. Afterall, who wouldn’t want their future leaders readymade and ready to go? Putting in the effort to develop talent is hard and there’s no guarantees. But it’s usually worth it and can often be better than trying to find already formed leaders from outside the organisation.

Outside talent may cost more, will have to spend time adjusting to and learning the ethos and goals of an organisation, and will be less likely to show the same loyalty as homegrown talent. Talking Talent has a number of programmes aimed at helping develop future leaders, from transformative one-to-one coaching to group-focused techniques. We also provide focused and bespoke coaching for existing executives. You can learn more here.