Preparing great staffers to become leaders: 3 points to consider

One trait of good leaders is they instinctively teach and train people so that eventually they’re ready to take positions of leadership themselves.

While you probably aren’t trying to groom your successor, you might have someone in mind for a supervisor position, project leader or managerial position for some aspect of finance such as Payroll, Accounts Payable or Accounts Receivable.

Before pushing for someone to take on more of a leadership role, you’ll want to consider taking one or more of these steps first:

Do others see potential leaders the way you do?

1. Gather feedback from multiple sources: You may think the person has leadership potential. But it’s not you whom that person will lead.

Make sure to gather honest feedback from staff regarding the candidate. If there’s a chance some people won’t accept (or respect) the person, you may need to reconsider your choice.

For example: A male employee who gets along great with other male co-workers but ruffles the feathers of more than one female workers may need more training. That goes the same for a female candidate you have in mind who doesn’t get along and work well with others.

2. Go with candidates who want to take on more: Some employees are high performers, but don’t want to be in charge. They enjoy their area of expertise and pride themselves on being great at what they do, and they’re not as interested in dealing with people and the headaches that come with the responsibility.

Take note of staffers who volunteer to take on more duties and who show flexibility when changes come down the pike. The folks who can roll with the punches are usually the best fits for leadership roles.

3. Ensure skills are up to date: Employees expect leaders to be on top of the latest trends and technologies. Continuing education is important. So is attending industry conferences (virtual or in person).

Is your leader-in-waiting eager to increase his or her skill set to meet challenges? You may want to suggest seminars and education courses for a promising employee to take advantage of first.