Manager's Corner - Recognize Potential
Legacy signals
Legacy popularity: 935 legacy views
We recently started a six-month leadership training program with a new client. The participants are accepted into the program only after they have been nominated by someone at or above their position in the company, and they have successfully passed the program's interview process.
This organization takes their leadership development program very seriously. They've invested a lot of time, effort, money, and other resources into it. The program and its participants are closely monitored not only by their managers, but also by the senior and executive management teams. It truly is impressive how dedicated the management team is to providing solid training and development opportunities to staff members who have shown leadership potential.
The interesting part of this process has been that several participants have indicated they were surprised they were nominated, but they are grateful to whomever nominated them. That's nice. But I believe it's a rather odd approach to nurturing talent. I haven't been able to get a clear explanation as to why this anonymous nomination process was developed. I believe this organization may have even more employees with hidden talent and potential who are waiting to be "discovered." But, because no one has told the employees directly that they have potential, the employees don't realize it or nurture it.
I'm a firm believe
in the old saying: Catch people doing things right. When you acknowledge positive performance and behaviors, you help the employee understand what "good" or "excellent" performance is and how it feels to them when they do it. You help them uncover hidden talents they may not have realized they have. You help them recognize their own potential.
So if you have employees who have demonstrated leadership or other skills, tell them. Don't assume they know. Recognize them. Recognize their talents and their potential. You may just uncover your organization's next leader.
Copyright 2008 - Liz Weber, CMC - Weber Business Services, LLC.
WBS is a team of Strategic Planning and Leadership Development Consultants, Trainers, and Speakers. Liz can be reached at liz@wbsllc.com or (717)597-8890.
Additional FREE articles can be found at http://www.wbsllc.com/leadership.shtmlnLiz can be reached at mailto:liz@liz-weber.com nn
Article author
About the Author
In the words of one client, "Liz Weber will help you see opportunities you never knew existed."
A sought-after consultant, speaker, and seminar/workshop presenter, Liz is known for her candor, insights, and her ability to make the complex "easy." She creates clarity for her audiences during her results-oriented presentations and training sessions.
Participants walk away from her sessions knowing how to implement the ideas she's shared not just once, but over and over to ensure continuous improvement and management growth and development.
This former Dragon Lady has been there, done it, and learned from it. Whether speaking to corporate executives or government agency personnel, Liz's comments and insights ring true.
As the President of Weber Business Services, LLC, a management consulting, training, and speaking firm headquartered near Harrisburg, PA, Liz and her team of consultants provide strategic and succession planning, management policy & systems development, employee training, as well as marketing and media outreach services.
Liz has supervised business activities in 139 countries and has consulted with organizations in over 20 countries. She has designed and facilitated conferences from Bangkok to Bonn and Tokyo to Tunis. Liz has taught for the Johns Hopkins University's Graduate School of Continuing Studies and currently teaches with the Georgetown University's Senior Executive Leadership Program.
Liz is the author of 'Leading From the Manager's Corner', and 'Don't Let 'Em Treat You Like a Girl - A Woman's Guide to Leadership Success (Tips from the Guys)'. Her 'Manager's Corner' column appears monthly in several trade publications and association newsletters.
Further reading
Further Reading
Article
Diamonds and Dollars: It’s Not What Your Product or Service Is Worth. It’s What the Customer Thinks It’s Worth.
One summer while I was on vacation from college I became a tin man: selling aluminum siding and roofing door to door in the Boston area. The business has a bad reputation but our siding and our roofs were the finest available. Our prices were high but fair. In spite of what consumers always want to believe, you can’t get the best without paying for it.
Related piece
Article
A Small Change Can Make a Big difference
A Small Change Can Make a BIG Difference All the talk about the economic climate at present, both in the UK and around the world, is of doom and gloom. It even appears to be heading towards some degree of that dreaded ‘R’ word, recession. My immediate response is ...
Related piece
Article
A New Meaning To Minding Your Own Business
How would you like to be in business with no stress or strain? Today there are many authors and lecturers talking about the power of the mind. Spirituality, meditation, and visualization are now en vogue. As an entrepreneur and adviser to growing companies speaking and writing about an ...
Related piece
Article
The Multi-tasking Myth
Okay, so enough already. We hear from managers all the time about how they “multi-task” to be more effective. It may be time to really review this myth. Multi-tasking came from the home, where multiple projects can happen simultaneously. A good example might be that the laundry is ...
Related piece