Earlier this month, I defined a strong leadership bench as the depth of capable leaders throughout your organization that are ready for bigger roles. I also noted why succession planning at all levels is critical to long-term organizational success. In my experience, the most self-aware leaders recognize that they sustain success by actively preparing multiple people at multiple levels to lead at higher levels.
In case you missed our earlier email, here are some ways you can actively work to build a leadership bench that continues to build on company successes long after you move up or on:
- Understand what your direct leaders currently do well AND the future leadership capabilities that each will need as they grow into bigger roles. What experiences will help them get there?
- Deliberately assign projects requiring people to lead, decide, and navigate complexity. Stretch them with assignments that build the specific leadership capabilities that will encourage their growth.
- Make sure the assignments provide real autonomy with real accountability. Give them ownership over outcomes and the freedom to take risks, make mistakes, and learn.
- Share what you see as their strengths and growth areas regularly through ongoing feedback. Help people understand how they’re perceived as leaders, how they’re doing with their assignments and what you are noticing. Encourage peer feedback, too.
- Champion team members for promotions and high-visibility projects. Encourage them to take on leadership opportunities that provide more scope, stakeholder or people management, or customer engagement – anything that creates additional value and contributes to organizational wins.
Building a strong bench requires honest self-reflection: Do you truly know each person’s leadership potential? Are you giving real autonomy or still staying too involved? Are you genuinely advocating for their advancement or holding them back because you need them?
Here Are Additional Tools To Build a Deep and Success-Sustaining Leadership Bench:
📖 Read: In this Korn Ferry article The Skills That Make Zero Distance Possible author Daniel Goleman makes the case for reduced hierarchy and developing sophisticated human skills to rely on ‘emotional entrepreneurship’ rather than positional authority.
👀 Watch: This video summary of The 5 Levels of Leadership by John Maxwell that focus on building lasting success for an organization.
👂 Listen: To the Maxwell Executive Leadership Podcast #60: Leader Challenge: Building Bench Strength for four specific tips on building bench strength aligned to Level 4 (People Development) of the 5 Levels of Leadership.
📄 Research Report: DDI Global Leadership Forecast 2025 – Latest data on leadership bench strength and succession readiness.
Self-aware leaders understand that their strength multiplies through the leaders they develop and that sustainable success means building leadership capacity that lasts beyond their tenure. In other words, their leadership legacy is measured by the leaders they leave behind.
Warm Wishes,
Loretta
Want to see how well you’re building your leadership bench? Our Self-Aware Leader 360-Assessment reveals how your direct reports experience your investment in their leadership growth.
Assess Your Bench-Building Impact – Are you creating sustainable leadership capacity