How do you make 2018 your best year ever? What needs to change to make the next year a transformational year for you and your organization? I’m finally back at work full time after several weeks of digging out from tornadoes. I’m working with clients on their plans for 2018 and beyond!

Here’s an interesting question to consider. What one or two things can you do to ensure that your teams’ meet and exceed your goals? My recommendation for many of my long-term clients is focus on developing their next generation of leadership.

Developing your people should be Job One for anyone on your organization’s senior leadership team. Creating and implementing a leadership development program for your high potentials should be at the top of your list!

I thought it might be helpful to share what your high potentials need to master before being promoted to more senior roles. Ask yourself the following questions about the people you have reporting to you. Several clients referred me to Ram Charan’s new book The High Potential Leader for a starting framework.

You should grab a copy today!  Ram does a great job of sharing why this should be your top priority for the coming year. I’ve been sharing Ram Charan for many years with my clients. He makes my job so much easier as he shares what leaders need to succeed today’s fast paced business environment.

There are several capabilities we believe future leaders need to excel in their current role and prepare them for executive leadership. These are my question covering the different areas Ram Charan shares in this great book.  I’ve translated them in terms that my clients expect from me. No jargon, just straight talk. I’ll be interested to hear what you think!

• Are your leaders leveraging their time? Are your team members effective at balancing management with leadership responsibilities?
• Are your people leveraging the strengths of people reporting to them? Are your team members delegating effectively?
• Are your people able to see the big picture? How are they implementing your strategy to seize new opportunities?
• How much do your senior leaders know about customers, competitors, partners, and where your markets are going?
• When was the last time you and your team received new training? Did it align with your business strategy and goals?
• How do your people attract, develop, and retain key people for your organization’s critical projects? Are they delegating this responsibility to people who understand what you are trying to achieve?
• Are your people using current tools and technologies to build a more powerful organization?  Are they keeping up with current trends that allow you to do more with less?  When was the last time one of your people brought you a new idea?

These  questions should get you thinking about what you need to do to make 2018 your best year ever! How many of these capabilities do your leaders possess? Maybe a better question is; how do you develop these skills in your direct reports? Are they coaching and developing these skills in their team members across the organization?

Creating a learning based leadership culture is the distinction between good to great companies in the coming years. How do you get started in 2018?

Over the coming year, we will invest time in coaching you on how to improve these capabilities in your team. As a bonus, if you focus on these questions for yourself, you will have your best year ever!

See you next week!