Management Role in Encouraging Leadership Skills

An employee is as good or bad as his manager. A manager is as much responsible for an employee's performance as the employee himself. Great managerial skills go beyond mere assigning of duties and supervising them. In fact, manager has a far bigger role to play than these activities. A manager is responsible for employee motivation, retention and extracting the desired performance from him. However, a good manager goes beyond these traditional roles and works towards creating future leaders for the company. 

Motivating Employees to Become Leaders 

Motivated, inspired employees can deliver miraculous results for an organization. A role of a manager is to inspire the employees to push their limits and perform better. Aligning the organization's goals with the professional goals of employees helps them to achieve success. However, being content with the present performance of an employee, no matter how excellent, is not enough. The efforts of management should always be focused on creating and mentoring new leaders who can take the organization further. An organization can always rely on the judgment of HR and OD consultants, who are equipped with tools and strategies for creating future leaders.

Identifying Potential Leaders

A manager is better tuned in with the strengths and weaknesses of his employees. An employee, though performing excellently may not always be a good leader-material. Similarly, an under-performing employee may sometimes make for a great future leader. It is the skill of the manager to identify the qualities of his employees that can make him/her a future leader.   

Harnessing the Leadership Qualities

The next step after identifying a potential leader is to harness his/her leadership qualities. This can be done by assigning him tasks that can put his leadership skills to test. It is a good idea to let the employees lead assignments that can do justice to their strengths. If they succeed, it can boost their confidence tremendously. Besides, they will learn the art of managing people, meeting deadlines and controlling execution, which are critical qualities of a leader.

Mentoring Future Leaders  

Once, you are confident about the choice of potential leaders, the next step is to mentor them according to the needs of an organization. A manager is a source of inspiration for the employees and often a role model too. Hence, it is imperative for you to practice what you preach. Demonstrate exemplary leadership skills so that your employees can follow in your footsteps.

Management should always treat an employee as a human first. His strengths and weaknesses are a part of his entire persona. Hence, no prejudices should be made based on just one aspect of his personality. A great leader is born only when there is a great manager to guide him.