Lead And Level Up Your Employees With These Leadership Gems

As the boss, you're only as good as your team. Coaching subordinates to take on leading roles can facilitate success. Here's how.

Originally Published May 13, 2013

Leaders are only as great as their teams, and most successful managers know that empowering subordinates to take on key roles at a company leads to long-term wins.

In terms of team-building for the greater good of the company, coaching those who work toward your agenda often creates a win-win situation, where workers are motivated and can take things off your plate for you to make room for your own advancement.

But how do you position a good worker to be a great manager? Entrepreneur Paul Spiegelman detailed how for Inc.:

It’s noble to try to “promote from within,” but irresponsible to promote without preparation. In some cases, you may not have the resources available to train your next leaders, and when that happens, it may of course be necessary to look outside. Or maybe you hire someone who can train your next generation of leaders.

If you’re going to commit to advancing the careers of your best workers, and one of those opportunities moves them into a leadership position for the first time, always do the following:

Give them a mentor for a period of time.
Invest in either internal or external training.
Guide them in how to be an example to others.
Teach the difference between management and leadership.
Check in often to help them with new issues they’ll deal with.
Make sure they enjoy the new role.

Remember: middle managers or supervisors have tremendous influence, and you can’t underestimate the importance of their roles. Equip and empower the employees you promote, and it will pay big dividends down the road.

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