Developing the forgotten leaders of tomorrow - Guest Article by Yvonne Akinmodun 

As we enter yet another period of lock down, many organisations are adjusting to remote working. Whilst for some, remote working this will have advantages, it can also present several leadership challenges. One of the most talked about leadership challenges is that of health and well being of the workforce. Whilst this is certainly an area every organisation will need to pay extra attention to, it is easy to overlook others.

Some of the often overlooked  leadership challenges that organisations might be facing include motivating and engaging a remote workforce, identifying future talent, seeking new and innovative ways to develop staff through technology and  redesigning  policies and processes to fit with a virtual world.

In view of these challenges, one question that springs to mind is how do organisations ensure they continue to coach, mentor, and develop team members particularly, those who might be showing leadership potential from afar?

Working remotely on a full-time basis can make it harder for those with true leadership potential to shine. As leaders of the organisation, identifying and nurturing this type of leadership talent requires a different approach.

Below are some of the ways in which leaders can ensure they a nurturing and developing the skills of their future leaders

Meetings

Adopt a rotating chair approaching to team meetings is a great way of observing the leadership style of your future leader. Chairing a virtual team meeting requires a different approach to face to face meetings, especially if you are dealing staff who might find spending time in front of a screen very daunting.

Ask for help

In the current climate, we are all to a lesser or greater degree having to operate in uncharted territory.  For instance, how do you motivate staff who might be spending 7 or more hours a day on screen?  Some of the answers to this might lie with the team members who may have novel ways of engaging the workforce.

Give them credit

Publicly acknowledging the work of future leaders is a great way of keeping them motivated, engaged and invested in the company.

Seek ways to develop your future leaders

As a senior leader within the organisation you have a role in ensuring you are coaching and mentoring for up and coming leaders. Setting time aside to have career conversations with team members goes a long way to understanding what motivates them.

Have career coaching conversations with your staff will also help you to get a better idea of their vision for their future, thus helping you identify how best to support them in achieving their goals.

Set stretch goals for those who want them – There might be a project or key piece of work that could pave the way to the creation of new systems and processes to support working remotely.

 

Identifying and coaching your leaders of tomorrow has several benefits for the organisation.

It helps to keep staff motivated by creating or embedding a coaching and mentoring culture within the organisation. Having this type of culture enables you to work closely with your top talent, even in these challenging times. It also enables all staff to feel they are valued and supported

A coaching and mentoring environment  can also help the organisation retain top talent for longer as even when operating in a tight labour market, it is still possible for those with the right skills and abilities to find suitable roles elsewhere.

If however, they feel the organisation is ready to invest in them through coaching or mentoring along with ongoing training  and support, it  could mean the difference between them staying another year or leaving you when you need them most.

 

 

Yvonne Akinmodun is a Human Resources Professional and an International Coaching Federation (ICF) Certified Career and Executive Coach. She is the CEO of Career Coaching Matters

Yvonne works with senior leaders to provide leadership solutions in a range of areas from leadership development programs, career management workshops to tailored one to one coaching. She is also a mentor to several black female professionals.

She has extensive experience of working with Clients to help  them  redesign and reinvent their career; this might mean taking their career in a new direction from a simple job change  to helping formulate a plan that enables a transition to self-employment.

Yvonne lives in London with her teenage son. In her spare time enjoys keeping fit and working as a PTA member.