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83% of business agree that leadership development is important at every level.

And YET, 69% of likely emerging leaders - millennials - feel a lack of leadership development. \(1\)

As business challenges increase, organisations know its critical to identify and develop the potential of emerging leaders. To ensure time and money arent wasted, its best to plan this carefully.

As Growth Faculty's new [Emerging Leaders Progam](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/event.php?eventId=a1J9g000000QkkpEAC) with Kylee Stone gets underway, this blog explores **4 key competency areas** that form the foundation of any comprehensive emerging leaders' program, and how they contribute to the development of future leaders.

**What Characteristics Define an Emerging Leader?**

There is a potential leader in each of us. However, A-players, or "[impact players](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/blog/LizWisemanImpactPlayers)" \(as Liz Wiseman has termed them\), are more likely to be cherrypicked for leader roles. According to a 2023 survey by MRA \(2\), the **Top 5 criteria of emerging leaders** are:

- High performer \(91%\)

- High potential \(90%\)

- Demonstrates motivation and desire to grow in their career \(88%\)

- Behaviour aligns with organisational values \(80%\)

- Team player \(80%\)

Developing these valuable people into effective leaders helps to address talent shortages, fosters a robust leadership pipeline, keeps knowledge in-house, and protects treasured company values.

**What is an Emerging Leaders Program?**

Ideally, an emerging leaders program provides a **structured framework** to cultivate the skills and qualities necessary for future leadership roles.

Whether it's referred to as an emerging leaders program, course, or training, the objective remains the same: to equip young individuals with the essential skills and knowledge that will help them with the challenges ahead.

In 2023 it would make sense to offer an online "virtual" program option to ensure the training is equitable for and accessible to remote and hybrid workers. This helps to reduce [employee training costs](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/blog/Howtoreducetrainingcosts), and allows for learning time to be incorporated into the **daily workflow.**

Indeed, the MRA survey found that while 41% of responding organisations would like to start an emerging leaders program, many have not due to a lack of resources \(47%\), other priorities \(38%\), or are unsure of their organisations emerging leaders strategy \(38%\).

**Leadership Development: Building the Foundations**

At the core of any emerging leaders program is leadership development. [What is leadership development \(and why should you care\)?](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/blog/leadershipdevelopment) Well, we know that show high-performing managers are **4 times more likely to retain employees** than low-performing managers.

Future leaders need to have a deep understanding of leadership principles and the necessary skills to effectively guide and motivate others.

Leadership training courses and classes help emerging leaders develop crucial skills such as effective communication, decision-making, and problem-solving.

Additionally, they learn to inspire and empower their teams, while also cultivating their own [leadership styles](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/blog/leadershipstyles).

At the heart of all this is finding your purpose. And that comes through self-awareness.

**Personal Growth and Self-Awareness**

A successful emerging leaders program recognises the importance of personal growth and self-awareness. Aspiring leaders must develop a solid understanding of their strengths, weaknesses, values, and personal motivations. In other words, they must **know their purpose.**

Kylee Stone says [purposeful leadership](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/blog/purposefulleadership) is:

- What do you want to be known for?

- What difference are you committed to making?

- What do you stand for?

She says finding your purpose may require deep reflection, come to you after a major life event, or stem from interactions with others and the world around you.

As [Elevate Your Team](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/blog/RobertGlazerteambuildingtips) author and CEO Robert Glazer told a recent Growth Faculty masterclass, the centrepiece of his companys leadership training focuses on building **self-awareness, authenticity** and **individual ability as a leader** , as well as management tactics \(like running meetings and giving feedback\).

Therefore, an emerging leader program should include sessions on [emotional intelligence](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/blog/emotionalintelligence), mindfulness, and self-management, enabling emerging leaders to lead with empathy, adaptability, and resilience.

**Collaboration and Teamwork**

No leader operates in isolation. Collaborative skills and the ability to work effectively within teams are crucial for emerging leaders. A good emerging leaders program will focus on **communication and listening skills**. As Michael Bungay Stanier says in his masterclass [How to Work With \(Almost\) Anyone](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/blog/workplacerelationships), a great skill to learn is to stay curious and to ask more questions \(with this comes his tip to [offer less advice](https://thegrowthfaculty-my.sharepoint.com/personal/christine_growthfaculty_com/Documents/Ask%20more%20questions,%20offer%20less%20advice.%20Asking%20%E2%80%9CAnd%20What%20Else?%E2%80%9D%20holds%20the%20space%20for%20curiosity.%20It%20doesn%E2%80%99t%20move%20the%20topic%20on,%20rather%20it%20holds%20the%20space.)\).

"You are trying to discover things like 'What's your best.......'," he says. For example, "What does a good work colleague look like to you?" Also, the question "How will we fix it if things go wrong?" All this BEFORE you begin a work project together.

Communication skills also help emerging leaders understand the dynamics of diverse teams, manage conflicts and difficult conversations, and harness the collective intelligence of their colleagues.

Learning to build a high-performance team also requires lessons in adaptability and [accountability](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/blog/accountabilityproductivity). These should be included in any Emerging Leaders Program you are considering.

**Strategic Thinking and Decision-Making**

In an increasingly complex business environment, emerging leaders must possess strong [strategic thinking](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/event.php?eventId=a1J9g000000QvLXEA0) and decision-making abilities.

As soon as they take the reins of any leadership role, an up-and-coming leader will find themselves **tackling difficult situations** and needing to discover an inner resourcefulness.

While real-world business challenges are great learning opportunities, a quality emerging leaders program can find examples, case studies, and strategic planning exercises to develop a young leader's capability to analyse data, think critically, and make informed decisions.

Strategic thinkers can better navigate ambiguity and uncertainty, anticipate future trends, and steer their organisations towards success.

**Continuous Learning and Adaptability**

A key characteristic of successful emerging leaders is a commitment to continuous learning and [adaptability](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/blog/improveadaptability).

As leadership coach John Spence teaches in our[ adaptability masterclass](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/blog/improveadaptability), learning agility comes from having a growth mindset.

Put simply, you must be a voracious learner. Dedicate yourself to learning, he says.

Leadership development programs emphasise the importance of **staying updated** with industry trends, technological advancements, and best practices.

Emerging leaders are encouraged to seek out additional learning opportunities, such as attending conferences and online masterclasses, pursuing certifications, or enrolling in advanced leadership courses.

By embracing a **growth mindset** , emerging leaders remain agile, adaptable, and better equipped to lead their organisations through change.

**Summary**

With up to 50% of people leaving jobs to get away from a bad manager, the impact of poor leadership can be dire.\(3\)

The future of your organisation can be shored up by empowering your emerging leaders with the skills, knowledge, and mindset they need to excel in their roles.

Emerging leaders programs provide the platform for young individuals to **cultivate essential leadership skills** and qualities necessary for their future roles.

By focusing on leadership development, personal growth, collaboration, strategic thinking, and continuous learning, these programs equip emerging leaders with the tools needed to thrive in today's rapidly evolving business landscape.

**Invest in Your Learning With Membership to Growth Faculty**

Want to keep up with the latest ideas and thinking from the brightest minds in the world?

Discover your potential by learning from the best with [Growth Faculty annual membership](https://join.thegrowthfaculty.com/#plans).

- Unlimited access to dozens of **live virtual masterclasses** on trending topics around work, career, leadership, and culture; such as psychological safety, burnout, difficult conversations, strategy and execution, micromanaging, accountability and more, with opportunities to chat, ask questions of the speaker, and interact with your peers.

- Unlimited access to our **multi-module leadership programs** at both emerging and senior leader level.

- Discounts on tickets to be in audiences at our **Global Headliner in-person events** featuring top name speakers.

- Year-round **leadership content on demand** with replays of our live events, highlight reels, interviews with top business authors, and more.

Join a community of knowledge seekers who are inspired by the best. See our [latest program of live virtual and in-person events](https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/event.php?eventId=a1J4G000008xoC7&promoCode=Blog&utm_source=TGF&utm_medium=blog).

References:

1\. "35+ Powerful Leadership Statistics 2023: Things All Aspiring Leaders Should Know", June 2023, Zippia.com.

2\. Kathryn Kopfler, May 2023, Organisations Are Looking Within for Emerging Leaders, MRA Survey Shows, MRA.com

3\. Marcel Schwantes, July 2022, The No. 1 Reason Why Employees Quit Their Managers, LinkedIn.com

Photo by [Daniel Thomas](https://unsplash.com/ko/@soy_danielthomas?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/photos/byU-AYCqRHs?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText)

4 Essential Skills for Your Emerging Leaders Program

Growth Faculty's NEW program for the leaders of tomorrow

Keep informed
Stay Inspired

4 Essential Skills for Your Emerging Leaders Program

Growth Faculty's NEW program for the leaders of tomorrow

Keep informedStay Inspired

Keep informed
Stay Inspired