One of the largest investments any company makes is in its employees. Hiring for management or leadership potential is one way to ensure the value of this investment, as is focusing time and effort on developing signs of management potential within your staff. To encourage management potential in your employees, you need to spot it first.
Here are 7 signs an employee has the raw material needed to make a good leader:
They think and talk about the group.
An employee who focuses on their co-workers’ success, gravitates toward group projects and talks in terms of “we” and “our” instead of “I” and “my” is thinking in terms of the team – an essential skill for any manager.
Their self-management is already stellar.
Employees who know what they need to do, do it, and proactively seek help as needed have their own work well managed. Moving toward managing others is a natural next step.
They seek out additional responsibilities.
Potential leaders look for chances to lead by taking responsibility for themselves and the team. They go above and beyond to ensure work is finished, and they volunteer to be responsible for additional projects or tasks.
They see what needs to be done, and they do it.
Employees with the best leadership potential are often the quietest in displaying it. These employees won’t tell other people what to do; they see what needs to be done and they do it, even when the task is a thankless one that goes unnoticed by the rest of the team.
They get creative.
Team members who find ways to improve tasks and processes to increase safety, efficiency and other key variables often show promise as leaders, because big-picture thinking and an understanding of what’s important are essential to spotting improvements and implementing them.
They take ownership.
Whether it’s a success or a mistake, those with leadership potential take ownership of their work, approaching every task as if the outcome will reflect directly on them. When a mistake happens, they focus on where they went wrong and seek help to prevent it happening again.
They’ve mastered the technical aspects of the job.
The period between the moment an employee masters the technical aspects of the job and before they get bored with those tasks is an essential one for cultivating leadership skills, because it’s an ideal time to encourage them to start teaching others. Keep an eye open for this “sweet spot” to start encouraging employees to move toward leadership positions.
At FootBridge, our recruiters connect our clients in the energy industry with some of the best available talent – whenever you need it. Contact us today to learn more about our energy recruiting services.