Successful business leaders hire right. Choosing and anaylysing large pool of potential candidates, then vet those candidates thoroughly. They don’t just focus on skills and experience but look for the person who will fit best with the organization’s culture and work well with among other peers in the work place.

Once you’ve pick quality candidates, then it’s time to think about the organization’s future. Discovering high-talent employees and helping them find a career track are the ways forward for companies looking to sustain leadership and innovate. Businesses are recognizing this and investing more in leadership development than before, according to a Bersin by Deloitte study. Here are five ways to assess talent and recognize potential in your organization:

01. Find well-connected employees

TINYpulse’s research demonstrates that well-connected employees become great leaders. Along with Microsoft Analytics, we discovered that employees who are hubs of activity are often tapped for leadership roles. They communicate across the organization and spend more time collaborating internally than others. These employees are more likely to show the qualities of a leader.

02. Character

This is one of those difficult to define qualities — you know it when you see it. But organizations excelling in talent management have found ways to objectively quantify character. By systematically breaking down character, you can identify future leaders in an impartial manner. For example, this metric could include how the employee reflects the company’s values. Employees who are invariably responsible and show respect to their colleagues would get points as well.

03. Commitment

Which employees are putting in extra effort? Who jumps at every opportunity for professional development? Who puts in the extra time to get every detail right? These are the kind of employees you should consider when assessing leadership potential. It’s no secret that the best employees are likely to become the best leaders.

4. Leadership needs to be visible

Employees need an example to follow. If your leadership communicates regularly with them about strategy and objectives, they’ll be more likely to view leadership positively. This extends down through the organization. Managers who meet regularly with employees are three times more likely to have engaged employees, according to Harvard Business Review.

05. Career planning

If you’re considering an employee for leadership development, sit down with them and discuss how do they picture the future at the company might look like. Managers should be empowered to make decisions about which employees should move up in the organization. What better way to recognize an employee’s dedication than by putting them on a career fast track?

Many organizations report that they believe having a talent pipeline is important, but they have no succession plan in place. Be sure your organization doesn’t get left behind by recognizing and developing potential leaders.

Source: Tinypulse.com