You Don't Start Training on Game Day

We’ve all heard of it happening before, or maybe you’ve experienced it yourself – an employee is left to sink or swim in their new leadership position, and they are absolutely drowning. How did they get there?

Leadership training does not start after you have promoted your employee - this is a mistake too many organizations make. It starts on day one with a new employee and continues their entire career with your organization. Strong training programs will not only lay the ground work for your future leaders, they will help you develop your staff’s strengths and improve on their weaknesses.

You may not have many management positions to offer, but your goal should be to churn out as many leaders as you can. Create employees who take initiative, encourage the success of their coworkers, and feel invested in project outcomes.

This does not mean simply training your staff for the tasks at hand- leaders must be all-in when supporting their teams. Your culture, hiring decisions, and day-to-day actions should set an example and embolden your staff to reach their full potential.

Taking a proactive approach to training your leaders will prevent you from making rash hiring decisions down the road.

In an industry that celebrates promoting from within, you need to be willing to back that decision with time, training, and attention. Even those employees with the greatest potential can fall short without the proper training and leadership development program in place. Do not throw your employees to the wolves, the sink or swim method is not an effective way to cultivate strong leaders within your organization. Instead, invest in your employees, see them as your greatest assets, and view your strong staff knowledge, success, and culture as your biggest return on investment.