Managers Can Be I.C.E.D in 3 Easy Steps
Rest assured that I.C.E. is a good thing! For my business, this month served as a significant milestone marker. We promoted seven employees at once, all under one roof, for the first time in what may be our organization’s history!
It was quite satisfying to see one of my main goals achieved in this way. The ideal storm was created by a steady stream of customers drawn in by excellent marketing, amazing products, and customer happiness. This storm was the requirement for more management, leadership, and sales personnel. This need could only be satisfied by a significant internal promotion! a triumph for the business, a triumph for the staff, and a triumph for our customers.
While I am pleased with what we have accomplished, the purpose of this article is to provide you with a straightforward method for developing your own in-house leaders. You too may learn and develop such leadership by adhering to the straightforward three-step plan that I.C.E. we developed to build and improve our management team. How do you choose who is the best candidate for a position among a huge sales force who all have their own special talents, unique strengths, and individual weaknesses? How are good followers transformed into leaders? Answering these crucial issues and creating the leadership of the future for your business requires the three stages listed below: identify, cultivate, and empower your managers.
Determine the Potential Leaders in Step 1
You must first determine who might have leadership potential. What traits do you believe are most crucial for a leader in your organization? Who possesses the vast majority or all of the traits you mentioned? Can the applicants be taught, instructed, or coached on the qualities they lack, if they have those qualities already?
We were looking for the following qualities for my company:
Knowledge of the Sales Process
Customer Satisfaction Rated Five Stars
Timely, accurate, and clean paperwork
Extremely Coachable and Trainable
A good follower who is also self-assured and selfless Service: Prioritizing the needs of the company and coworkers
It was simple to decide who merited the opportunity offered after we knew who possessed the aforementioned attributes and who didn’t.
Step 2: Develop Their Leadership Capabilities
[blockquote-left]It’s crucial to train and develop your in-house leader before they’re ready to take the reins.[/blockquote-left]Train your future leaders one-on-one and knee-to-knee. You can find out why they act in a certain way and what motivates them to get out of bed by doing this. Once you realize this, you can work together to recruit them.
Let them know, “Steve, I want your career satisfaction to be at the level you desire. You indicated to me throughout our coaching session that you value responsibility and advancement. There are some fresh chances on the horizon that will open up shortly, and I want to help you get there. Are you willing to talk about how you can best serve your firm going forward in light of these new roles and responsibilities? Read Keith Rosen’s book “Coaching Salespeople Into Sales Champions” for more details on this kind of enrollment statement.
To offer the future leaders experience of training peers, we chose to make use of the internal training program I had developed and wrote about in an article this past September. No one was obligated to train their peers because this is a volunteer initiative. But those who desired leadership took charge and behaved in a manner befitting a leader. The individuals who we had previously identified took the initiative and successfully started training their classmates with little to no pushback.
After that, we let them work under the manager in the position above them so they may learn the crawl, walk, run method for eventually taking over the position. Avoid the error of promoting someone just to cast their untrained mind to the wolves later. Create a foundation for their success by developing their work and leadership abilities.
Last but not least, before they begin, make sure they feel at ease in their new position. No new role is ever entirely simple, and in order to help individuals advance, I think you need to push them beyond their comfort zones. However, make sure you test their resolve, new abilities, and skills in order to increase their confidence. Are they capable enough to do the task? Are they prepared to perform the task? Inquire about the greatest way you can help them in their new position. As they learn the ropes of their new job, ask their peers to be patient and kind.
Step 3: Give your new leaders power
It’s time to give your future, in-house leader or leaders the authority they deserve now that they have been properly chosen and nurtured. Inform your staff of the purpose of this opportunity. Your team members who were not this time promoted will be motivated by this. Additionally, it will inform those team members of any criteria they might not have met in order to advance. As a result, the team members who weren’t chosen get a chance to develop as well. Make sure everyone is aware of the requirements and job description for each promoted employee’s new role. Unknown expectations are impossible for anyone to meet!
Let those who have been promoted speak in front of the group. Ask them to respond to the following inquiries:
How will you work to serve your team the best in your new position?
What standards do you set for your new employees?
What objectives do you hope to achieve in your new position?
How can your team assist you in this the best?
How receptive are you to suggestions and helpful criticism from your team?
How would you like to hear this criticism?
Make sure everyone is aware of the hierarchy of responsibility and who reports to whom. Inform your team of the benefits of the new modifications. This will lessen the team’s overall feelings of doubt, anxiety, and unhappiness when such adjustments take place.
Within your company, there are also new, untapped leadership talents beginning to emerge. Under your feet may be the next great business executive or leader, ready for photosynthesis. Always keep an eye out for the qualities in your direct reports that will matter to the leaders of your firm. Once you’ve located them, develop their leadership abilities through coaching and training to help them blossom. Finally, empower them and involve your team in the adjustments to position them for total success. Your business will benefit from using this three-step approach, and your workforce will adore you for it. The lives of your employees will improve, and you’ll also contribute to the expansion of your business! You will be happy of having completed both of these activities far into your elderly years. They are both extremely rewarding experiences for a leader.
Back to Blog