Looking for Leaders in All the Wrong Places

Most business owners want employees to step up when it comes to problem solving, customer care and productivity, but few organizations know how to spot and effectively cultivate leaders.

Step Up: 4 Keys to an Employee Culture that Creates Leaders

Employees who take leadership roles in the workplace are more productive. They feel more invested. They are more likely to be brand advocates when interacting with individuals both in and outside of the organization. Here are four ways to encourage employees to step up when impromptu leaders are called for.

Employees who step up and take a leadership role without having the “title” when it’s needed in the course of their daily work demonstrate the kind of brand buy-in and advocacy most business leaders say they want, but few know how to foster. Businesses with engaged employees enjoy higher employee retention rates, reduced costs in hiring and training, and higher productivity and profitability than those with low levels of engagement; so why aren’t more organizations working to spot and cultivate leaders among employee ranks? The answer to this question could be as simple as this: They don’t know how.

As we’ve previously shared, the Deloitte Human Capital Trends research found that while 86% of organizations rate “leadership” as important, only 13% claim excellence at developing leaders at all levels.

There are many books and articles written on the topic of how to be a good leader, but far fewer on the topic of how to spot and cultivate leaders. So we came up with four characteristics that – if found in your employee culture – will make it far more likely that employees will step up when impromptu leaders are needed on the job.

4 Ways to Find Leaders in Your Business

1. Make it safe.

Once employees believe that it’s unsafe to stick their neck out, it’s unlikely that they will risk stepping up to take leadership in the organization. If they perceive that “status quo” or simply meeting expectations is the safest course of action, that’s the course of action they are most likely to pursue.

At the heart of safety lies the question of trust, and trust takes time and precedent. Employees must trust their manager and company executives if they are going to venture out of their comfort zones and take leadership – and responsibility – within the organization. That trust is developed over time as a result of seeing how other risk-takers are rewarded.

Have you ever heard the phrase, “The best indicator of future behavior is past behavior?” Many managers believe this to be true when it comes to their employees; however, it’s important to remember that employees believe this as well.

To foster an employee culture that creates new leaders from within the organization, you must continually make it safe for employees who take risks as they step up on the job or in new positions of leadership.

2. Don’t assume.

Have you ever known someone for a long period of time and thought you knew them well, only to find that they had skills, abilities and talents you weren’t aware of? It’s possible that you have employees with the skills and abilities needed to become great leaders in your organization, but you simply don’t know it yet.

Don’t assume that you know all that your staff are capable of doing; conversely, don’t assume you know all that they want to do. Employees who want to lead may believe that they must go elsewhere due to a perceived lack of opportunity in your business.

3. Offer incentives and rewards.

Do you reward employees who lead the way in improving your business? From monetary rewards to non-traditional employee perks, recognition and other rewards, offering some type of incentive for employees who take leadership can result in significant improvements to your organization.

4. Embrace a “Why Not?” Attitude

“Why not us?” That was the simple question asked at the beginning of the 2013-2014 season by Seattle Seahawks quarterback, Russell Wilson, a question he learned to ask from his father over the years. It was this “why not?” attitude that infused the Seahawks locker room, practices and season; ultimately culminating in a dominant Super Bowl XLVIII win over their more experienced opponent in February 2014.

To ask “why not?” is to ask what’s the worst that can happen or what’s the best that could result from trying something new or taking a chance. For employees to want to take on a leadership role, they must believe that the potential benefit for them in taking action outweighs any potential negative that might occur as a result.

To embody a “why not?” attitude, managers must be willing to – and supportive of – employees when they present ideas and suggestions that could improve working conditions, their ability to perform their jobs or other factors that could impact employee engagement or productivity.

To ask “why not?” is to admit that there is room for improvement in your organization. Once you open up the floor and reward employees for contributing to productivity and fulfillment of mission and vision, you may be surprised to discover that there were both obvious improvements you could have made long ago as well as extremely creative problem solvers among the ranks of your employees.