Much has been said about the differences between management and leadership. It seems management is quite easy to define—there is an objective, and the manager’s job is to organize and direct the team's work to achieve this objective. A manager typically holds a formal position within an organization — a rank.
Now, let’s try defining leadership. Leaders are supposed to inspire. Build trust. Have a vision. Communicate that vision effectively. Motivate the team to join in pursuing this vision and turn his vision into a shared vision. Lead by example.
Leadership is more about behavior and influence rather than rank. A leader is someone who chooses to lead.
However, in my opinion, one aspect of a leader’s job does not get enough attention.
LEADERS CREATE LEADERS.
Arguably, a leader's greatest contribution is developing the leadership skills of select team members. Here is why I think so.
Continuity. The point of leadership is not just about guiding a team to achieve immediate goals but ensuring that the organization can sustain its success in the long term. This hinges on the leader’s ability to cultivate future leaders within the team. Even the best leaders are not going to be around forever. They need to consider what will happen when they are gone. No leader worth his salt follows the logic of Après nous, le déluge — After me, it may flood (not my problem). Creating leaders is, therefore, crucial as it addresses the need for succession planning and preservation of institutional knowledge. By grooming future leaders, current leaders can ensure that knowledge, culture, and values are preserved and passed on. The team can maintain not only a strategic direction but also a coherent identity. Keep in mind that the problem is not that all assignments end. Think about unexpected departures. Effective succession planning mitigates the risks associated with planned and unexpected departures.
Innovation. Developing leaders within the team fosters a culture where diverse perspectives are not just given lip service but actually valued. We live in a fast-paced world. Things change in an instant. As emerging leaders bring fresh ideas and innovative solutions, the organization can stay relevant and competitive. When team members are encouraged and empowered to take on leadership roles, they are likelier to take initiative and experiment with new approaches. Not to mention that because the leader is driving the process of identifying and grooming the new leaders in the team, he or she is more likely to listen to their ideas and greenlight test runs. Ego battles are, of course, not completely avoidable, but in this context, perhaps less likely.
Resilience. A single leader, however charismatic and capable, while possibly a good idea in times of crisis or to drive a change of direction, can be a serious liability in the long run. If the leader’s departure leaves a gaping hole in the organization, the team will struggle to adapt and respond to new challenges. Leaders who create leaders foster an environment where team members are progressively more and more capable of handling adversity, reducing the need for a single leader and a single point of decision-making and problem-solving, thus leading to a more robust organization.
Motivation. Of course, not everyone will be selected and supported to take up leadership roles. Nevertheless, when team members see their peers selected and supported to become leaders, this can have a tremendous motivating impact. Napoleon is believed to have said: “Every French soldier carries a Marshal’s Baton in his knapsack.” This powerful statement reflected his belief in meritocracy, ambition, and the potential for greatness within every individual. Before Napoleon, only the aristocracy could rise to high ranks in the military. In his army, however, many Marshals came from humble beginnings. His choice of commanders broke social barriers and inspired and motivated his soldiers. Napoleon instilled a sense of ambition and aspiration in his troops by making it clear that leadership and high rank were not limited to the privileged classes. Done right, creating leaders can have a similar motivational impact on the team in any organization.
Teams where leaders prioritize creating the next generation of leaders are healthier, more productive, and better able to handle change.
In addition to the obvious benefits of this approach for the organization, it can also be a rewarding experience for the leader. Seeing others grow and succeed provides a deep sense of personal satisfaction. This is one of those things that determine a leader’s lasting impact on the organization, creating a legacy beyond their tenure. Working to create leaders can also boost the leader’s motivation and help keep cynicism and apathy at bay.
Importantly, mentoring and developing others challenge leaders to refine their own skills. It pushes them to think critically, communicate effectively, and model the behaviors they wish to see in others, leading to their own growth. The mentor-mentee relationship often fosters strong, lasting connections. These relationships can become a valuable source of support, collaboration, and mutual respect over time.
Now, let’s talk about how to go about creating leaders.
Identify. You need to identify team members with high potential. This takes time and requires patience. You will, naturally, form quick impressions about a team, and you should be careful not to jump to conclusions. Give time for a “second impression” to form. Review the performance evaluations. Gather insights from colleagues and supervisors, particularly about individuals demonstrating leadership qualities. Observe. As you form your “shortlist” of individuals with high leadership potential, you may want to write down your criteria for inclusion. Then, put together brief notes on why you believe these individuals belong there. Putting your thoughts in writing against a set of criteria can help avoid the halo effect and anecdote-based decisions and make things more objective. Of course, your shortlist is not set in stone. You will make some wrong choices. Some individuals you will need to drop. Others will remove themselves from the conversation — life will get in the way. One more thing to keep in mind is the team's perception of the choices you are making. Does the team feel you choose based on merit, or is there a feeling you choose based on personal preferences? Last but not least, take a minute to think about your criteria for selection. You might want to pick a team player, but team players sometimes are better suited for a position of a second in command. Best leaders are not necessarily strong team players. Those who seek consensus in all situations may have trouble making decisions. You might appreciate public speaking skills, but see if this person has more subtle one-on-one persuasion abilities. Ambition? Observe. See if this is the ambition to advance themselves or to do better service. You may appreciate past successes, but see if the candidate is averse to risk. An effective problem-solver? May not be a a good strategic thinker — that trait will need work and coaching. What I am trying to say is — this is not straightforward and needs some thinking.
Provide Leadership Training. People with experience in management tend to roll their eyes at this suggestion. And they have a point — most leadership training is generic, one-size-fits-all content — decision-making, communication, conflict resolution, strategic thinking, etc. It may feel like a waste of time with little relevance to attendees’ daily realities. However, such training can be a revelation for team members who have never had an opportunity to manage teams. At a minimum, a focused course with brief introductions to the fundamentals of leadership and management can help your prospects develop an idea about the skillset they need to develop to become effective leaders. To make leadership training more effective, see if the organizers can incorporate real-world scenarios relevant to your field, case studies, and role-playing exercises. Organize follow-up sessions to discuss how the trainees plan to apply the skills they’ve learned in their day-to-day work. Schedule periodic touch base sessions, which, in addition to ensuring the training session is not “one and done,” can help identify additional areas needing training. Share examples of courses, books, and resources that have helped your leadership journey (my tip: Harvard Business Review).
Mentorship and Coaching. General leadership training can be the foundation, but it certainly won’t be sufficient. Next is development tailored to the individual's needs. A leader may decide to provide coaching directly or assign experienced managers to mentor individuals with leadership potential. A mentor can work with the mentee to develop a personalized development plan that aligns with their career goals and the organization’s needs. Set short- and long-term goals and clear milestones and objectives. Agree on regular feedback sessions. Track progress over time. Monitor and adjust as needed. Depending on the organizational structure and practices, it may be possible to establish formal mentorship programs or to include the potential leaders in the existing corporate mentorship programs. The most important thing here is consistent communication and feedback between mentors and protégés.
Opportunities to practice leadership. Theory and training are all well and good, but leadership is learned through practice. If your prospects do not get opportunities to practice leadership, all the previous advice won’t do the trick. You should delegate meaningful responsibilities to team members, providing them with opportunities to lead projects, make decisions, and experience leadership challenges firsthand. Delegation must be coupled with accountability. By holding emerging leaders accountable for their decisions, you will help them understand the weight of leadership and the importance of accountability. One possibility is implementing a rotational leadership program where team members take on leadership responsibilities for a set period. It is important to provide guidance on their responsibilities, but do not overdo it — allow space for them to make decisions and learn from their experiences.
Feedback. Leadership learning is like any learning — constructive feedback is essential for growth. Emerging leaders need to receive regular, honest feedback, helping them continuously improve. Good practice is conducting AARs — After Action Reviews. AAR is a simple and structured way to look back at what happened during a project, task, or event and learn from it. It helps figure out what went well, what didn’t go as planned, and what can be done better next time. While AARs are usually done in teams, the practice is also useful for individuals. The way it works is you go through a set of specific questions: - What was supposed to happen? The original plan or goal that was to be achieved. - What actually happened? What happened, and how things were different from the original plan? - Why did it happen that way? Exploration of the reasons behind the success or failure and the challenges to understand what caused things to go well or not. - What can we do next time? Come up with specific lessons and ideas on how to do better in the future, avoid the mistakes committed, and build on successes. Schedule feedback sessions. Make them regular. If the organizational environment permits, promote peer feedback. Most importantly, encourage future leaders to reflect on their own performance and identify areas for growth. You won’t always be around to guide them. Self-learning is an essential skill for EVERY professional, leader or not.
Leadership Culture. Let’s start with what should be the obvious. As Nassim Nicholas Taleb puts it — skin in the game. As a leader, you need to exemplify the qualities you wish to instill in future leaders. It is not just children who watch what you do, not what you say. Everyone does. So, strive to set a standard for others to follow — demonstrate integrity, empathy, and resilience (or better yet, antifragility). Whatever your professed life philosophy is, don’t just talk about it — be it. Similarly, if you want leaders around you to be a certain way — you need to be that way first. The next thing to focus on is recognizing and rewarding leadership behaviors, even in non-leadership roles, which reinforces the importance of these behaviors and motivates others to aspire to leadership. On this, check out my article Leadership Without Rank. Of course, if your organizational structure and procedures allow, offer promotions and tangible rewards to people who consistently exhibit strong leadership skills. Finally, at the risk of repeating myself, encourage a culture of continuous learning, motivating your team members to seek out knowledge and develop new skills regularly.
Supportive Environment. Leadership Culture is the fundamental component of a supportive environment, but not the only one. One thing you need to work on is creating an environment where team members feel safe to voice their opinions, take risks, and make mistakes. Understand that they are not perfect (neither are you!). They should, of course, understand the consequences of mistakes, but without an environment where learning is prioritized over perfection, you won’t develop confident and capable leaders. Ask any leader who impresses you today, and I bet they can tell you some amazing stories about their screw-ups. So, use failures as learning opportunities (refer to the AAR above). At the same time, recognize and reward individuals who demonstrate innovative thinking and problem-solving skills. The other thing you need to do is encourage collaboration with other teams. Again, your team members will observe you closely. Collaboration is not something you just expect them to do — you need to lead by example. Your team needs to see that you are a team player, ready to support other teams, comfortable asking for help when needed and fostering an environment where sharing knowledge and experiences is the norm. You can encourage or even initiate projects where your team members will need to collaborate with other teams. You can also organize social activities that help improve collaboration, communication, and trust among team members. In my experience, paintball matches do wonders. :) Encourage or organize events where future leaders can connect with senior managers and peers from other units. To the extent possible, seek opportunities for future leaders to attend conferences and workshops in your field. Finally, involve emerging leaders in strategic meetings in your organization, where they can get a sense of the bigger picture and also observe and learn from experienced leaders.
This is a lot. Then again, if you want to be good at your job as a leader, it takes much effort. There will be mistakes, disappointments, letdowns. But such is life. :) We try, we fail, we try again.
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I hope I have been able to convince you that creating leaders is not a peripheral responsibility but a central duty of effective leadership. Ultimately, the true measure of a leader’s success lies in their ability to create a legacy of leadership that extends beyond their time and presence.
Here is one last point: as a good leader, if you do this right, after all is said and done, you will be able to say — they did it all themselves. And if you feel comfortable with this thought, then you have done your part.
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I am a humanitarian worker fascinated about helping people reach and exceed their potential. I write about learning, self-improvement, BJJ and much more.
