It’s unfortunate to see employees with great
leadership potentials, but aren’t using their talents to their advantage. They
always refuse any responsibility. You would want to give them the chance to
become leaders, but you end up getting disappointed. If you believe in these employees
and think the company will benefit from their leadership skills, you have to
find a way to become leaders.
Talk to them privately
Understand why your employees are refusing a
leadership role. They might have great potentials but are hesitant for whatever
reason. Talking to them privately allows you to know why they don’t like taking
leadership roles. You will also determine if there are growing serious issues
among the employees. Others refuse to take huge tasks due to family issues. You
can find the right post for them after a private and sincere conversation.
Invite employees to brainstorming sessions
You have to expose your employees to different
brainstorming sessions. Even if the agenda doesn’t involve topics related to an
employee’s job, you can still invite that person. For instance, if you see
someone in the finance department with leadership potentials, you can offer an
invitation to join the meeting of your marketing team. Having a conversation in
a more relaxed and informal atmosphere could boost confidence.
Start with small projects
You can’t expect your employees to step up and take
difficult posts immediately. You have to start with small projects. The task
might involve only a few people to get things done. If it’s successful, you can
assign more significant projects.
Provide an opportunity to talk in public
Some employees hesitate to step up because they don’t
like talking to other people. As leaders, they have to preside over meetings,
and some of them don’t like it. Others have to present ideas to stakeholders
and potential investors. The key is to provide more opportunities to talk in
public. It also helps if you purchase a projector ceiling
mount to make any presentation easy. It will still
be challenging, but constant exposure will make your employee more comfortable.
Be patient
You can’t expect everyone to take leadership roles.
Some employees are competitive and are dying to get specific posts. Others aren’t
as eager as their fellow employees to step up. They’re already content with
what they have, and would gladly embrace the same post for years.
If you already exhausted all means to push someone to
become a leader, it’s not your fault anymore. You have to accept that some
people are already content with what they have, and would be fine staying as
followers.
Keep your eyes on people who have leadership
potentials, and are willing to take up those roles. You can also tell them how
impressed you are with the job done. Keep boosting these employees, so they
will feel that they deserve to move up. Many of them have potentials, and
they’re just waiting for someone to help them move forward.
