What’s your approach to helping direct reports within the IT department develop their leadership skills?

Our organization has invested heavily in leadership training and development. Our approach supports employees that self-identify a desire to increase leadership and recognized high-potential employees to prepare them for future leadership roles through structured programs, mentoring, and performance-based development. For ITS, we utilize training, work assignment, and performance goals to develop our leaders.

• External Leadership Programs generally offered through industry associations. For ITS we also utilize SIM RFL - Regional Leadership Forum.
• Internal Development Resources and training
• Formal Mentorship Program
• Project Leadership Opportunities
• Performance Evaluation Integration - Annual performance evaluations are used to reinforce leadership accountability. Managers are encouraged to coach, mentor, and provide meaningful feedback throughout the year.

Coaching, goal development, work-out-of-class opportunities, and specific training geared to leadership experience. New leaders, or those looking to move into leadership roles, are often directed to a leadership fundamentals program (10 staff at a time join a cohort from across the Country). More experienced leaders are often directed to the Pacific Northwest Regional Leadership Forum (similar cohort format). Like Andy mentioned we also hold department-wide book clubs as well.

I try to act like a coach and a mentor. When I'm coaching, I'm giving them direct feedback and demonstrating the choices I might have made -- or did make -- in those situations. When I'm mentoring, I try to facilitate insight from them, so that they determine how to solve their own issues and make their own decisions.

There are lots of ways to develop leadership skills such as taking classes or holding book clubs based on great leadership books (my personal favorite is "The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team" by Patrick Lancione). I'd say the most important approach is to ensure that your leaders have a mentor or coach that is not you. This could be a paid professional executive coach in a formal engagement. It can also be a colleague within your organization or any trusted person with whom that leader can talk about the challenges they face and help work through them. The leader needs to be humble and open to challenging feedback, and the coach needs to hold the leader accountable. Bottom line... make sure all of your direct reports are talking to someone who is helping them improve as a leader.