Identifying Leadership Potential In Employees: Eight Critical Traits
A leader is someone who takes the initiative and drives the business forward to fulfill its goals. Leaders get to their positions after years of experience and by mastering their job duties to the best of their ability. Within a company, leaders are responsible for guiding and inspiring those within the departments they lead.
Knowledge is only half of the equation with the other being an innate sense of leadership. If managers can spot that sense early, they may be able to guide those young leaders while they gain the necessary experience. To help, eight members of Young Entrepreneur Council examine the key traits that they look for to identify potential future leaders within the hierarchy of the business.
Young Entrepreneur Council members offer strategies for differentiating those with leadership potential.
1. Independent Development
When it comes to leadership, you can tell if someone has that certain spark by looking at the way they approach their own role. Independent development means the employee critically considers how to push and drive even more value from their role. They are then comfortable with the responsibility and accountability that engenders, knowing how to own up to any mistakes and improve from there. Enthusiasm and an eagerness to learn are great starting points, and when combined with accountability and independent development, it's a positive sign for the potential to lead. - Thomas Smale, FE International
2. Responsibility
I always say that responsible people make good leaders. Pay attention to your employees when they report their successes and failures. Note the people that take responsibility for the good and bad, while offering solutions to prevent adverse outcomes in the future. These people usually have the frame of mind it takes to be a good leader. Test the waters by allowing them partial control while you're still in the office. Take notes on how they perform and give them the training they need to be an irreplaceable asset to your company. - Chris Christoff, MonsterInsights
3. Bringing Solutions To The Conversation
One trait I look for in potential leaders is the ability to bring solutions to the table when they're presenting me with a problem or challenge to solve. I don't expect team members to have all the answers when a challenge arises (I certainly don't myself), but I do appreciate it when an employee brings suggestions for how to solve it instead of relying on me to solve everything. I've found that the ability to do this is a strong indicator that this person could lead at some point in their career. - Jessica Vollman, Fluent City
4. Keeping Cool In A Tough Situation
A leader needs to be someone who can stay calm and create order when things go wrong. Look for a person who's able to keep their head when something goes wrong and can focus on finding a solution. Such people are invaluable as you can rely on them to make more rational decisions in a difficult situation. They also help keep up morale and can encourage their coworkers to be more proactive rather than reactive. - Blair Williams, MemberPress
5. Active Listening
It's more often than not that a person seeking a leadership position may want the status and power over the responsibility. When you lead, it's best to listen to the people who follow you and encourage them to grow their teamwork and personal development skills. Find employees that don't interrupt others' stories, actively engage with the conversation and understand the situation. People who are better active listeners are better at building trust with their coworkers, building confidence in themselves and increasing productivity within the overall office atmosphere. You can also reduce the potential mistakes that come with miscommunication, which can include workplace conflict. Notice who keeps the peace during office parties and other informal events to see how employees listen when they are more relaxed. - Patrick Barnhill, Specialist ID, Inc.
6. Initiative
One of the most important traits that a potential leader can show to me is taking the initiative on more difficult projects and tasks. If I see a junior team member taking the initiative on a project or task instead of waiting for me to provide instructions, this person shows they know what to do, they are confident in their decision making and can handle higher-level and more important work. - Kristin Kimberly Marquet, Marquet Media, LLC
7. Introspection
The best leaders are adept at self-analysis. They are constantly looking inward to retroactively analyze how they could be better and improve. They question their own motivations, decisions and motives enough to have real conviction when they commit toward new initiatives. Those who are not capable of self-examination are not effectively able to critique others and if one cannot critique another, they cannot effectively teach and mentor either. Therefore, introspection and the self-awareness that comes alongside it is absolutely crucial in future leaders. - Colin Darretta, WellPath
8. Going Beyond What Is Necessary
In my experience, the biggest difference between an ordinary employee and a potential leader comes down to the desire to take responsibility and expand one's duties. It's typical for someone to stick to their defined job role and never go beyond it. While this may be enough, it doesn't show leadership potential. Someone with more drive and ambition will want to keep learning, even beyond his or her present responsibilities. They will ask many questions to increase their knowledge. They will also be eager to go beyond the call of duty and do more than the bare minimum of what's required. These traits show that someone has the potential to advance and take on a bigger role. - Kalin Kassabov, ProTexting