Ralph Nader famously said: “The job of a leader today is not to create followers. It is to create more leaders.” One could argue that this has been the job of a leader all along. Perhaps we are only just realizing it.
I spent all of my time as a student and then in my early career trying to be a leader. Since then, I have been trying to figure out exactly what that means.
For a long time, I understood leadership in a very narrow sense to simply mean being in charge. This is of course a perfectly valid type of leadership, but it is certainly not the only type. Too often, we continue to equate leadership with those in organizational leadership positions. I find myself slipping into this old habit myself and continue to work on separating the two. There are a lot of ways to exhibit leadership that do not necessitate a title or a corner office. When it comes to developing other leaders, it is essential that we keep this in mind.
Our staff’s goals are as varied as our staffs themselves. When it comes to leadership, this holds true. Some will be interested in traditional leadership roles while others will be interested in being leaders in other ways. Others still will have no interest in any type of leadership role whatsoever. Your job as their leader is to figure out who wants what. The good news is you do not have to figure it out on your own. You simply need to ask your staff and keep on asking. People’s goals change over time so be open to changing along with them.
Understand that leadership takes many forms and involves many skills that are not unique to leadership. Be generous and inclusive with your staff when it comes to opportunities for growth and development. Too often, leadership development opportunities have been limited to those who are deemed to have leadership potential, an arbitrary and subjective designation often filled with loads of biases to boot. Invite all your staff to partake in these opportunities and show them that you do see them as having leadership potential, perhaps even leading them to see it in themselves.
Mentoring is an effective way to help develop other leaders. This can be through peer mentors or through mentoring relationships of long-term employees and newer ones. Not only does this help develop leadership pipelines but it does so in a way that has been shown to help mitigate many of the persistent equity issues that persist in leadership in many organizations today. In terms of choosing one or the other, there is no need. People benefit from having multiple mentors for multiple reasons.
Another way to help develop future leaders is to lead by example. Your staff are always watching you, far more than they are listening to you (often to your chagrin). Modeling ethical behavior and actions, strong communication, and processes is one of the most effective ways to prepare future leaders. In many cases, this may also include showing them what not to do. This is not the goal, of course, but none of us is perfect, and we have all learned important lessons from others about what not to do.
In addition to leading by example, you must also invest in developing your future leaders. This includes an investment in time and training, coaching and support. This investment should be both universal and customized to the interests, needs and goals of the individual future leader. Remember, leadership can take any number of forms including management but should by no means be limited to it. Continue to offer management development opportunities in addition to leadership development that includes development in the areas of advocacy, ethics, mentoring, collaboration, community work, and so much more.
There are a lot of paths for leadership and part of the growth is in exposing your staff to the possibilities. Be open to the possibilities for yourself as well. Leadership can look a lot of different ways and so too can leaders.
