Leadership - Emerging leaders
Emerging leaders
Identification
Emerging leaders must be identified, nurtured, coached and developed by the leaders above them. This is not always the case.
The attributes of a leader are varied but will be different for an experienced one compared to that of an emerging leader.
The latter will be lacking in experience and knowledge so will need particular traits to develop their leadership potential.
For example.
- Adaptable and enthusiastic.
- Reliable, trustworthy and confident.
- Proactive.
- They tend to look for solutions and do not focus on problems.
- They volunteer their services.
- Show enthusiasm to learn and develop their own leadership credentials.
- Exhibit loyalty.
- Supportive of others.
A senior leader would be expected to have these and others.
For example.
- Vision.
- Decisiveness.
- Motivation [see The Complete Motivation package] and delegation skills.
- Excellent influencing skills.
- Manage conflict well.
- Recognises risks and manages it well.
- Enjoys a challenge and looks for opportunities.
- Prioritises tasks.
- Evaluates options clearly and takes decisive action.
- Possesses well developed Emotional Intelligence.
Negative traits
Emerging leaders should be aware of any negative traits.
For example.
- A lack of Emotional Intelligence.
- A tendency to think of themselves first.
- Being rather naive politically.
- Finding it hard to have a ‘can do’ mentality as they tend to see obstacles and not solutions.
- Rather than sorting out a problem for themselves they may refer it up the chain of command.
- They find it hard to remain detached from the group and become too much ‘one of the lads’.
Some of the weaknesses that a senior leader might be concerned about could be.
- Poor delegation skills.
- A need to be surrounded by like thinking people instead of developing people with skills in the areas he or she has gaps.
- A tendency to think you are at the summit and stop or slow down in your own development.
Certain leaders seem to exude particular traits, for example charisma and inspiration.
These sorts of characteristics can not be easily learnt or taught and you must make the most of what basic characteristics that you have.
The aim is to develop your positive traits and improve upon or find ways around your negative ones.
Responses
Emerging leaders respond to challenges in a number of ways. The good ones are positive and the bad ones are negative.
If you are apathetic, sit back and wait for an issue to resolve itself you will never become a leader.
On the other hand trying to appear very intelligent and only raising objections with no solutions is not a good idea.
Based upon potential solutions leaders are prepared to move that extra step and propose action, if necessary, based upon limited information.
It is possible to over analyse a situation and a good leader knows when to move forward without all of the data, taking an informed risk, based upon his or her experience.