You know, I’ve been pondering a lot about how we can better support our new leaders, and I want to share some approaches that really make a difference. These aren’t your typical “send them to a training class and hope for the best” strategies. Most of those strategies just fall flat. Here are some practical ways to help your emerging leaders find their footing.
- Create Safe Spaces for Practice In my experience as a Leadership coach and research science background I’ve learned that new leaders need room to try things out without feeling like the world will end if they mess up. It’s like learning to ride a bike with training wheels. Give them a chance to run some smaller projects or lead team meetings while you’re there as backup. When things don’t go perfectly (and trust me, they won’t), treat those moments like gold because that’s where the real learning happens. I’ve seen leaders grow more from a well-handled mistake than from a dozen smooth sailing days.
- Make Time for Regular Check-ins This one’s crucial, and I mean really crucial. Set up regular one-on-one time that’s all about their leadership journey – not about project updates or status reports. These conversations are where the magic happens. Talk about the tough situation they faced last week, that team member they’re not sure how to handle, or that decision that’s keeping them up at night. I’ve found that sometimes just having space to talk through these challenges helps new leaders find their own answers.
- Teach Them to Read the Room Here’s something we often forget to teach new leaders – how to spot trouble before it becomes problematic. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen promising leaders stumble because nobody taught them to read the signs. Situational awareness is EVERYTHING!!! Help them understand what’s really happening in their team dynamics, show them how to spot when someone’s struggling but not speaking up, and guide them through the unwritten rules of your organization. Familiarizing them to these varying workplace dynamics is like giving them a map and compass for the workplace.
- Show Them How It’s Done You know what’s better than telling someone how to handle a tough situation? Letting them watch you do it. Modeling is a great way to prompt deeper learning and problem solving. But it requires patience and ESSENTIAL coaching skills. I encourage leaders to start inviting new leaders to sit in on challenging meetings or difficult conversations. Afterward, you can grab a coffee or lunch and break it down – why you said what you said, what you were watching for, how you decided when to push and when to pull back. It’s amazing how much learning happens in these real-life moments.
- Help Them Build Their Circle Help your new leaders connect with others who can support them too. it’s been said that the 5 people closest to you will determine your success. Picking high caliber people is beyond important. Because let’s be honest, none of us got where we are alone. Introduce them to other leaders, get them involved in group projects where they can meet people from different departments, and encourage them to build relationships outside your organization. I’ve seen some beautiful mentoring relationships grow from simple introductions.
When you invest time in supporting new leaders this way, something remarkable happens. They don’t just become better leaders – they become better mentors themselves. And isn’t that what we really want? Leaders who know how to lift others up because someone once did the same for them. This kind of “pay it forward” helps to reduce the kind of “you figure it out” arrogance that stifles leadership growth. This is what great talent development and succession planning dreams are made of!
I’d love to hear what you think about these strategies. Maybe you’ve tried some of them, or maybe you have other approaches that worked well for you. Drop a comment below and share your experience – we’re all in this leadership journey together, and we all have something to learn from each other.
