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.
