Last week, I shocked a few readers with the following fact:
AS OF JANUARY 1 OF THIS YEAR, EVERY SINGLE DAY MORE THAN 10,000 BABY BOOMERS WILL REACH THE AGE OF 65. THIS WILL CONTINUE TO HAPPEN EVERY SINGLE DAY FOR THE NEXT 19 YEARS!
That means we’re going to see a mass exodus of key people who have the education, experience, and knowledge of our organizational culture. Those people are going to be very difficult to replace, and it certainly can’t happen overnight. Thus, there is the need for a combination of a strong mentoring strategy and a future leaders program to begin the development of potential candidates!
We’ve been very fortunate to be able to work with many clients in a wide variety of organizations from coast to coast as they seek, select and prepare potential leaders for the challenges they will soon face.
Let me share an abbreviated game plan revealing the crucial steps in this program which is growing in popularity.
Future Leaders
Most of our clients have decided to choose a creative name for the group of potential leaders they have selected for future leadership possibilities. While “Future Leaders” certainly describes the next generation of leaders, our clients have settled on a variety of creative monikers. Listed below are just a few:
- Strike Force
- Fast Trackers
- Pace Team
- Supreme Team
- Transformation Team
- C.A.N.I. (Continuous And Never-ending Improvement)Team
Criteria for Potential Leaders
- A genuine interest in leadership
- The desire to lead
- The potential for leadership
- Education and experience
- Enthusiasm and positive attitude
Guidelines and Parameters for Those Selected
- No title
- No authority
- No pay increase
- No additional hours
- No promises or guarantees
Benefits to Those Selected
- Opportunity to attend meetings, conferences, trade shows, etc.
- Opportunity to interact with leadership, customers, and vendors
- Opportunity to attend Board Meetings and Focus Groups
- Opportunity to get involved with special projects, R & D, etc.
- Opportunity to lead, mentor and train others
- Opportunity to experience various challenges of leadership
- Smoother transition into leadership role when the time comes
Benefits to the Organization
- Long-term preparation of employee for a leadership role
- Increased productivity of candidate
- Increased motivation of candidate
- Increased productivity and motivation of fellow employees
- Opportunity to observe candidate in action
- Increased probability of success for candidate
Clients have worked with groups as small as three candidates at a time and as large as 35.
Some clients provide half-day or full-day formal training sessions weekly, monthly, or quarterly based on need and availability.
Those organizations that have utilized this unique program have been extremely satisfied with the results. The transition for candidates from this continuous training into an actual leadership role, when the need arises, has been extraordinarily smooth and flawless … providing a win-win situation for everyone involved.
For more information about the Future Leaders program, give us a call at 1-800-886-2629. You’ll be glad you did!
About Harry K. Jones
Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.