Originally published on Alexander Gladney’s website.
Have you ever had a manager whose memory still sticks with you today?
For some of us, our minds will pull up memories from the worst boss we ever had. One that intimidated us or squandered our potential. Most of us, however, will think back with fond memories to our favorite managers. Ones that inspired us to do our best work and not only believed in our potential for success, but did anything they could to help us cultivate our strengths.
It’s true that great leaders possess qualities that are ingrained within them since birth, but there are other necessary qualities that can be learned and strengthened through development and education. Leadership training is not just intended for mediocre leaders who could benefit from additional education – it also benefits those who are already exceptional leaders. Here’s why:
Training works to increase productivity.
If a leader truly understands their employees, they will know what they need to do in order to empower their employees to excel. This emotional intelligence is a necessary trait of good leaders and, through training, can be transformed into a strategy for how to deal with your specific team.
Training leads to better employee retention.
Occasionally, employees will receive better job opportunities and leave their current position to continue their career path. Most of the time, however, employees leave their jobs due to discrepancies with their boss. If you invest in leadership training, it could mean better employee retention for your company.
Training will help highlight future leaders.
Whenever you are considering promoting an employee into a leadership position within your company, it’s important that your candidates aren’t just the most outgoing personalities in the office. Seek out employees with the makings of a great leader and place them in leadership training. This combination will eventually shine a light on who the right choice is – and it may surprise you.
Alexander Gladney 