6 Traits of Potential Leaders

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By Matt Monge

Develop young leaders.

Develop your leadership pipeline.

Invest in the next generation of leaders.

Wind up the whippersnappers.

OK. So I made that last one up, but the first three are phrases you’ve undoubtedly heard before. I don’t disagree with any of them; the more difficult task is making those things happen.

If you’re a leader with a little (or a lot of) experience, how do you even spot them? You can’t very well help them out if you don’t know who they are. It’s probably more difficult to mentor if that’s the case too.

On the other hand, if you think you are that young leader, or you want to be that young leader, the question that probably runs through your mind from time to time is What the heck do I have to do for someone to see that I have an ounce of potential and give me a chance?

Here are some characteristics you might want to keep an eye out for if you’re a manager or organization looking for that next generation of leaders.

Young professionals hoping to get into management or higher into management, I wouldn’t really think of this as a checklist, per se; but perhaps as a pool of suggestions. They’re things I know I keep an eye out for, and I know other leaders do as well.

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