Here is a brief excerpt from an article written by Patrick Sweeney for Chief Learning Officer magazine. To read the complete article, check out all the resources, and sign up for a free subscription to the CLO and/or Talent Management magazines published by MedfiaTec, please click here.

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Consider five tips when putting together a leadership development program.

Successful leaders, by their very nature, are consumed with what they are doing — connecting with clients, motivating talent and inspiring those around them. In particular, enlightened leaders are in a position to create a new future for their organization by identifying the potential and developing the talent of those who could replace them.

Here are [three of five] perspectives that learning leaders should consider when putting together leadership development programs:

Stop looking for silver bullets. Developing leaders is not about looking for the next big innovation. It is about focusing on the people. Get to know workers’ potential and personal aspirations and whether they have the drive and motivation to get to where the organization needs to go.

Recognize that no leader is going to be around forever. The focus is not about you. It is about what the organization can become. The most important job of a leader is to develop individualized plans for top performers and a succession plan for the organization. Learning leaders must begin with that mindset.

Recognize potential. When hiring, don’t just consider whether someone can succeed. Equally important, consider whether the new hire can grow with time. Consider an example. Tom Gartland, a regional president at Avis Budget Group, said: “Right now, I have five assistant vice presidents who run Canada and the United States. So, if anything were to happen to any of them, I need to know what we would do. Our company’s success is based on my having a clear vision and understanding of who the next leadership team is.”

In all, to have an eye toward the future, leaders must be sure that the right people are in the right roles and that others are prepared to take over in an emergency.

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To read the complete article, please click here.

Patrick Sweeney is president of Caliper Corporation, a human capital management assessment and development firm. He can be reached at his firm.