How Can You Create Future Leaders… When You’re Already Overwhelmed by Daily Management?
If you follow my posts on LinkedIn or have read some of my blog articles, you’ll know I often use the following quote when talking about leadership development:
“I start from the premise that the function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers.” – Ralph Nader
It’s a noble goal, no doubt.
The big problem?
If you’re a manager who’s completely overwhelmed, you’re just trying to keep your head above water.
When you’re in survival mode, it’s hard to imagine a day when you’ll actually have time to develop other leaders. In fact, this vision might even irritate you—just another pressure added to your already full plate.
If this sounds like your reality, don’t worry.
Developing other leaders is not your first step.
Before you work on strategy and employee development, you need to start by freeing up your time and getting out of crisis mode.
This begins by placing your tasks into an Eisenhower Matrix and:
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Eliminating all tasks that are neither urgent nor important
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Delegating tasks that are urgent but not important
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Tackling tasks that are both urgent and important
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Finding a way to operate in the zone of important but not urgent tasks
Of course, there are other things to implement in order to take back control of your role as a manager. But this is the first and most essential step—it gives you room to breathe and time to start working on employee development.
Know Your Team Members
Now we get to the heart of the matter.
How do you develop other leaders?
Step one: Get to know your team members better so you can identify individuals who have the potential to grow and become leaders.
You can do this by observing their behavior with their peers or analyzing the language they use when communicating with others.
It’s also helpful to sit down with your potential candidates to understand their aspirations more clearly.
A Word of Caution
During these discussions, it’s important to clarify that your intention is to better understand the position or responsibilities the employee would like to take on.
It’s not a promise that they will get there.
It’s simply a starting point.
A little story:
I was newly promoted as a production supervisor and met individually with my line leaders to introduce myself and get to know them better. One of them told me she’d like to become a team leader. I said, “Great—we’ll work together so you can reach that goal.”
A few minutes later, my current team leader rushed in, panicked, asking if this person was going to replace her.
I reassured her that wasn’t the case.
She then told me that the line leader had already been telling everyone she was going to become a team leader and replace one of the current team leaders.
Whoa!
That was not the message I meant to send.
And it taught me a bit more about how that employee operates.
My mistake:
My intention was good—but the delivery, not so much.
I had forgotten to clarify that we were going to work towards that development goal, but that she would have to wait for an open position in order to be eligible for the promotion.
I thought that was obvious.
But it turned out to be a valuable leadership lesson:
👉 What’s clear to you is not always clear to others.
That’s why it’s crucial to communicate your message clearly and confirm what the other person actually understood.
Take it from me: confirming understanding is essential to avoid misunderstandings.
Start Small
Step two: Start with small responsibilities for two main reasons:
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It allows the employee to get some quick wins and boost their confidence
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It limits your risk
When an employee starts learning, you’ll need to spend time explaining your expectations, offering problem-solving tips, and remaining available for support. A task that’s too big might take up too much of your time and
could discourage the employee early on.
Quick wins, as they say.
Follow-Up
Step three comes once the first responsibility is well managed and you feel the person is ready for a new challenge.
This is when you confirm that they feel the same way.
Respect people’s limits. If the person says they’d prefer to stick with their current responsibilities for now—that’s totally fine.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t ask follow-up questions:
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Do they want to progress again later on?
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What would they need to be ready for the next step?
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How much time would they need?
Whatever the response, stay supportive and open to all possibilities.
The next steps are basically a repeat of steps two and three, but with more significant responsibilities each time.
It’s important to maintain open communication with your employee throughout their development—this is key to their success, your success, and the success of your organization.
If done well, everyone wins.
A Little Incentive for You
Creating new leaders allows you to share the mental load of team management.
When you know these individuals have control over the tasks assigned to them, it frees up your time to develop the next leader—or to focus on strategies that can further boost productivity and engagement in your team.
Next week, I’ll share a concrete example of an employee I worked with to help her grow and eventually become a leader.
Discover the 5 Must-Ask Questions for Happy Teams
Do you want to better understand what motivates your team members and could help you create a happy team? My practical guide, 5 Must-Ask Questions for Happy Teams, is designed to provide you with simple and effective tools to:
- Create a climate of trust within your team
- Identify the true needs and aspirations of your employees
- Encourage meaningful conversations that foster collaboration
- Boost engagement and collective performance
- Anticipate and resolve challenges before they become obstacles
Carl-Michael Tessier M. Sc., MBA
Coach in high-performance team development and tailor-made support
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