LEADING AND DEVELOPING PEOPLE

What does leading and developing people mean?

When a competent leader invests their time into developing the people in their organisation, they help them learn, improve on issues they struggle with and hone and refine existing competencies and skills.

Leadership and development happen both at the level of the individual as well as that of the team, ensuring that people work to achieve the best possible outcomes for themselves and the organisation. To develop employees and build their skillsets, an effective leader creates an environment conducive to on-the-job learning in addition to facilitating training opportunities, setting clear and measurable goals, and providing regular, productive feedback. To do so, business leaders rely on a set of soft skills such as the ability to empower and motivate others, communicate effectively and plan for the long term.

Why is leading and developing people important in the workplace?

Holding a leadership position is so much more than making executive decisions or having the power to promote people. Business leaders are also in charge of developing their team’s capabilities, because an organisation will only ever be as good as the people in it. By training your ability to lead and develop people, you will become a more effective, empathetic, and ultimately successful leader.

Effective leadership focused on developing others allows teams to thrive and individuals to gain knowledge and skills. In fact, as reported by the Harvard Business Review, failing to develop and support employees with effective mentoring and opportunities for growth is one of the main reasons employees named for wanting to leave a current position.

However, taking a genuine interest in the professional development of someone not only generates longer term rewards, it also builds trust and loyalty in the here and now. Building this rapport is a key ingredient to becoming a successful business leader, as a good relationship with their boss, team leader or manager can be a major motivating factor for employees to not only stay in their role, but meaningfully contribute with their work.