One of the most important things organizations can do to ensure the ongoing success and development of their organizations is to give care and consideration to selecting new frontline leaders. The question isn't whether this activity is important, rather, do we give it the attention it deserves?
To help you answer that question, I have four questions, with some considerations related to each one.
Where do you look for candidates?
The short answer here is likely that you look internally, or you look externally. There are potential advantages to each, but having a clear approach is important. This strategy is important to the selection process as well as what and how you invest in the people currently on the team.
It also sends a message to the organization. Having a clear strategy allows people in your organization to know if their future could include a step into leadership roles or not.
What are your criteria?
Do you have a clear set of criteria you will use to select among candidates? Are they written down and shared across the organization? What is included on the list?
If you have leadership competencies, that should be part of this list. But the list needs to include some things you might not have considered like:
- Interest in leading. There are plenty of reasons people apply for jobs as leaders – and they aren't all because they are genuinely interested in doing that work. Make sure you have questions to understand their interest in leading others.
- Their reasons why they want to lead. Interest is important but having a clear reason why makes all the difference for both them and the organization. When someone has a clear why for leading, they will likely be more persistent in becoming successful and more resilient when things get challenging, which they will. Understanding their reasons for wanting to lead can be an important piece of your selection criteria.
- Learning habits. Being an effective leader requires being an effective learner. Make sure you ask questions to understand the learning habits of your candidates.
Are the expectations clear and described?
The criteria are those things that will help you select the right future rockstar leader.
The expectations are what you expect of them once they are in the role. Make sure you are clear about these expectations in the interview process. You want them to be clear what success in this role will be. This makes the role clearer up front but also speeds up their onboarding to success once selected.
How do you prep your pipeline?
If your strategy or goal is to hire from within, are you investing in your future leaders? Too often organizations wait far too long to think about leadership development. If you want your frontline leaders to succeed, think about how you can prepare more people with skills that will help them succeed when they get that promotion.
Your answers to these questions will determine much about how successful you will be in selecting new frontline leaders. If you are unsure or don't love your answers, I encourage you to make this a strategic conversation.