One of the critical jobs of a leader is to make sure they are developing the people that come behind them. You are running a company. No matter how your business is going, one thing is certain. You won’t be running it forever. At some point, you will begin to slow down, and perhaps even retire. At that point, you need to have someone you trust take the reins from you. Have you identified that person, or several potentials? If you have, that’s great – you are ahead of the crowd! If not, don’t despair – having a focus on developing the next generation of leadership will serve you well. I have seen companies where an heir apparent (or several potentials) have been identified, and groomed for positions of increasing responsibility throughout their careers. These individuals are then well positioned to take over the day to day running of the company when the leader decides to take a step back. I applaud these companies – and think that more need to follow this example! But it doesn’t just happen organically! Many larger companies have solid management training programs that will lead a promising individual through all areas of the company,
Read more →