What are the signs of leadership potential in employees?
- They pick up fast and don’t need to be told what to do.
- They are quick to offer help to their colleagues.
- They are ready to take on additional responsibilities.
- They are a good influence on their peers.
At the core of every successful company is a team of leaders making sure that employees are heading towards the right direction and making several decisions regarding the business. Some of them were already leaders as they entered—maybe even attended a public speaking training in the Philippines—while others awakened to their potential during their stay in the company.
As much as employers would want to always hire exceptional leaders, they can be hard to find and aren’t really looking for new jobs. So, as an alternative, employers turn to their current employees or hire new ones who have the potential to be leaders on their own. Most managers and superiors have a keen eye for such employees. After careful observation and evaluation, they can easily pick people who are likely to succeed in a leadership role.
You might be amazed by this ability, but it isn’t exclusive to these people. There are a lot of signs that show an employee’s leadership potential. If you’re also part of the decision-makers of your company and are looking to choose the best from your team, then these are the signs you should keep in mind:
They Pick Up Fast and Don’t Need to Be Told What to Do
There are three types of employees—those that ask questions, those that don’t, and those that ask questions repeatedly and constantly. If you’re looking to find future leaders, then pick from the first set of people—the ones that ask questions. These people do this only to clarify objectives and eliminate confusion within their tasks.
After they receive concise and sufficient answers, they proceed to work and produce exemplary results. These are the kinds of employees you can leave alone but still feel confident that they’re doing well and are on the same page. Usually, they are good at following instructions or have an innate understanding of the task at hand or both. Either way, this is where you will find your company’s next leaders.
They Are Quick to Offer Help to Their Colleagues
Great leaders don’t work solely for their benefit. They have no intention of stepping on anyone in order to lift themselves up. Instead, they help their colleagues in order for all of them to reach the top together. If they see people having a hard time with their work, they don’t hesitate to extend their helping hand. This doesn’t mean that they take on the load themselves, although they do if time allows it. They offer support in different ways—encouraging words, small compliments, short lessons, and giving out advice.
These people shouldn’t be hard to find as you will often hear people talk about them in good light. When asked for an opinion of them, people are sure to respond with compliments and praises. You’ll also be able to see this regularly if you keep a close eye on your team.
They Are Ready to Take On Additional Responsibilities
Don’t get this confused with the previous point because helping people and taking on additional responsibilities are two very different things. The first one doesn’t always mean that an employee will take on load. They can, but they can offer their help in other ways as mentioned above. The second one, however, entails that an employee will add more things to his/her plate on top of what they have on a regular basis.
These are the people who step up whenever there’s an additional task or project that needs to be done immediately. Often, it falls outside the scope of their normal work, but that doesn’t stop them from taking responsibility. Beware, though, because there are some people who only say they’re going to do it but don’t deliver. These aren’t reliable employees. Put your trust in those who step up and actually produce quality work.
They Are a Good Influence on Their Peers
Leaders need to command respect and attention from their followers and they also have to lead by example. In short, people must be able to look up to them without a problem. Whether it’s through their good words, display of good work habits or interpersonal skills and qualities, they have to be able to positively influence the people they work with.
It is highly likely that you already have employees like these who are heavily influencing the people around them in a good way. The only problem is that you can’t really sniff them out through observation alone. You need data to back up your instincts and claims and one of the best ways to get this is by individually talking to your team.
Key Takeaway
There are many ways to awaken the leadership potential of your employees. You can send them out to a public speaking training in the Philippines or a leadership training seminar. These things are sure to mold them into the leader that they are meant to become.
However, before you start sending out people to these events, you first have to make sure that they actually do have great potential to be future leaders. You can easily separate those who do from those who don’t by checking the four signs listed here, so always keep them in mind and monitor your employees on a regular basis to see if there are any that stand out!