Natural Born Leaders? Certainly, But Organizations Have to Invest In them

Recently, I had the privilege of facilitating a 2-day leadership bootcamp in Chicago through an affiliate group I work with. I spent the two days with newer frontline leaders. It was nice to be outside the New River Valley and be among such great leaders for a couple of days. Some had been in their role for right around a year and others had only been in their position for a month, but the one thing they all had in common was it was the first time they had been offered the opportunity to attend a formal leadership program designed to help them be stronger leaders.

I believe most of us can agree that some people were meant to be leaders. 

We hear that all the time, but the truth is: there is a difference between having the right attitude and passion for leading and knowing how to lead effectively. After 17 years in human resources, I can say with 100% certainty, it is not uncommon for high performing associates to be placed in leadership roles; it makes perfect sense, but sometimes organizations forget there is a significant difference between being an employee and being a leader. 

And let’s just be honest, the hardest part of being a leader is usually not the tasks of the jobs, or the meetings you have to attend; it is supervising, directing and caring for the people entrusted to your care. 

As a leader, it is your job to care for others, yet so often we do not teach new leaders how to do it well. 

We do not help them transition from being a peer to being the boss. New leaders need to know how to build, support and retain a team!

To do this, new leaders must be taught how to lead on purpose. They need to know the difference between high performers and low performers. They need to know the 80/20 rule in reverse, which is not to spend 80% of your time on the 20% who are ‘energy vampires’ (if you’re wondering what an energy vampire is, it’s that small group of associates who drain every ounce of energy you have by their bad attitudes and low work performance - The Energy Bus by Jon Gordon). 

The goal should be to only give 20% of your time to those individuals, and that 20% should be spent working them up or out of your organization so you can invest 80% of your time in those who want to be there and contribute to the mission of the organization. 

As an Executive Coach, Leadership Advisor and HR expert, I’m going to share something that might surprise you, but the fact is, you should treat your team differently! You should treat those who show up with dedication and commitment better than you do those who pull your team down, so you are continually pouring into those you want to keep and re-recruiting them daily. 

We must teach new leaders how to communicate with diverse teams, in a way that everyone knows the expectations. We need to show them how to fairly and consistently hold people accountable. They need to know how to deliver feedback and coaching. They also need skills in negotiating, persuading, delegating, and influencing. Finally, they need to know that trust is the catalyst of great leadership, because without it, your ability to lead is non-existent.

Here is the great news, though: once you identify the right people with the right attitude, motives, and desires, you’ve crossed the biggest hurdle, the rest can be taught. 

If you believe exceptional leaders are born great, you may be partially correct, but ask any highly effective leaders and they will tell you, they became who they are through a positive mindset, hard work, and by having a network around them who is invested in their growth, who provided coaching (not to be mistaken for cheerleading), and who provided them with opportunities to learn the not so tangible skills of leadership. This learning does not all come from formal 2-day boot camps. It comes from a blend of mentorship, effective coaching, and formal leadership development programs. 

Helping organizations cultivate a culture of exceptional leadership by investing in current and up-and-coming leaders is what we love to do at Ignite Leadership. Our passion is helping businesses excel by expanding capability and competency where they matter most: their people!