One of the best things organizational leaders can do to help groom others for leadership roles is to share leadership responsibilities. This certainly does not mean to suggest that all strategic decisions should be passed on to others nor that the leader no longer has accountability; rather, enable people the autonomy to perform their roles and make decisions within their area of expertise within specified parameters.
For example, let’s assume that a senior project manager within the organization is working on a major strategic initiative. You might provide her with the power to make decisions within a budget of +/- $10,000. Or, maybe you enable your customer service employees to resolve customer problems within a range of +/- $150.
Or, possibly one of your employees found a solution to a long-term problem the company was having. Why not let them lead the effort to test and implement the solution and ask them to present the solution to the Board of Directors at the next meeting. What great exposure for an employee who may otherwise not have the opportunity to interact with Board members.
Have some processes within the organization that are not as effective as they should be, assign some employees who work within those processes the responsibility for evaluating those processes and proposing how the processes might change in order to improve effectiveness within the business.
By enabling others to take on responsibility, you share the leadership role and provide them opportunities to grow within the business. Let go of some aspects of your job so that others can take on a leadership role. This also enables you to focus on other areas of the business.
Provide support, guidance, coaching and training necessary for the individual to be effective. Mistakes will happen – but with the right parameters and safety net in place, you can minimize the impact on the business.
