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A critical challenge facing many organisations today is the ability to identify and develop the leaders of tomorrow. This challenge is exacerbated by talent shortages, difficulties retaining key staff and operating in a VUCA world; where organisations are often slow to react to change.
HR teams have the unenviable task of attempting to balance talent development and succession planning with the current needs of the organisation and limited development budgets. However, there are three key, intangible skills which top performers possess that are sometimes overlooked when performing this juggling act.
These three transferable skills differentiate top performers from their peers, they are essential leadership qualities that must be nurtured and they can dramatically affect a leader’s influence over the behaviour and performance of others.
- Accountability – The most successful leaders and teams embrace a culture of open and honest accountability. A culture of accountability requires three core elements: clear expectations, ownership of responsibilities and the skills to effectively hold others to account when expectations aren't met.
Accountability is sometimes disguised as a blame culture. However, when implemented correctly, as a mechanism to create transparency, consistency and continuous improvement, the permission to speak up openly and honestly removes the culture of silence, reduces the fear of retribution and stops teams falling into the trap of “that’s the way we’ve always done it”. A culture of accountability focuses people on incremental improvements and creative problem-solving, rather than protecting themselves from blame and hiding shortcomings.
2.Resilience – Change is constant and its pace will only continue to accelerate. Most people muddle through it, become overwhelmed by it or even reject it. Effective leaders must be highly resilient and adaptable when facing change, adversity or stress to maintain a strategic and objective view of the organisation.
A leader’s actions, communication and body language will all influence the mind set of those they’re leading and directly impact how the team copes with organisational change. Although, like any skill set,resilience comes more naturally to some than others,by understanding our own stress triggers and coping strategies, it is possible to build resilience to lead others more effectively.
3.Flexibility –When we promote high performers, we often overlook their ability to get the best out of other people; which requires a flexible approach. This could be the flexibility to manage people with different personality profiles, backgrounds, capabilities, motivations or work styles.
A one-size fits all approach doesn’t cut it. The best leaders maximise the potential of their team by recognising the needs of their team and adapting their management style to the situation and the individual.
If you’d like to understand how to identify and develop the leadership skills that will successfully future-proof your organisation, Grahame Robb Associates has over 25 years of global experience in supporting organisations to assess, develop and engage leaders through tailored experiential leadership programmes. We provide delegates with opportunities to ‘practice under pressure’ in a physically and emotionally safe environment. For further details, please contact us via 01962 779911, [email protected] or www.gra.uk.com.
