The three pillars of potential, competence, and appetite.
In my last corporate role, we scaled my organization from 40 to over 100 people in just four months. Growth like that can be overwhelming, but we pulled it off without losing a single employee. Here’s how we succeeded.
Building a Leadership Bench
A strong leadership team is essential for organizational success. Yet, many people are thrust into leadership roles without adequate training or support. They might excel as individual contributors but find themselves unprepared for the entirely different skill set leadership requires.
Whether hiring externally or promoting internally, identifying future leaders involves three key pillars: potential, competence, and appetite.
Potential
The nine-box-grid is a popular tool for assessing employees based on performance and potential. It helps identify top performers, future leaders, and those needing development.
When evaluating potential leaders, ask:
“Have they peaked, or can they grow?”
“What support—mentoring, coaching, or leadership training—do they need to unlock their potential?
Part of your responsibility as a leader is people development. This takes time, money, and effort. Consider whether you or a team member can invest in their growth. The goal is to help them realize their full potential.
Competence
When I say competence, I’m referring to intellect, or a person’s capacity to succeed in leadership. Unfortunately, it’s often overlooked. Many leaders excelled as individual contributors but struggle because they lack leadership-specific skills like vision, strategy, or effective communication.
We great individual contributors, throw them into leadership roles and expect them to be exceptional over night. Why? It’s unrealistic to expect them to become good leaders without any experience, development, or coaching.
Leadership isn’t innate—it’s learned. While some people may have natural traits like empathy or self-awareness, even they need development and experience to lead effectively.
Appetite
Not everyone wants to be a leader, and that’s okay. Some avoid leadership because they doubt their abilities or dislike managing people. As leaders, we can help by encouraging them and highlighting their potential and competence.
Take Melissa, for example. She had the potential and competence to lead. We offered her an opportunity on the leadership track under the mentorship of another leader for six months.
To our surprise, she wasn’t interested. She didn’t see herself as “leadership material.” We decided to let the conversation sit for a while and let her peers encourage her.
After a few weeks, she came back to us and expressed interest. With training and support, she became one of our best leaders. Sometimes, people just need time and reassurance to step into leadership.
When to Say No (or Not Right Now)
Some people have the appetite, but potential, or competence. In such cases, mentorship and coaching can help evaluate and nurture their readiness. For example, Adam wanted a leadership role but wasn’t open to feedback or empowering others.
He liked things a particular way—his way. He had a reputation for shooting down others’ ideas. He was inflexible. He wasn’t open to feedback.
Like Melissa, I offered to put him on a six-month mentorship program. Unfortunately, during the mentorship program it became clear he wasn’t ready.
Ultimately, I had to tell him he wasn’t ready. It wasn’t what he wanted to hear, but it was what he needed to hear at the time.
Several years later, I ran into Adam at a leadership event. He shared that even though he was disappointed in not making Director, he appreciated working together.
You were right. I wasn’t ready. I had a lot of work to do. And it took me some time to realize that.
You told me what I needed to hear, not what I wanted to hear. And I just want to say, ‘Thank you.’
It wasn’t easy telling Adam he wasn’t ready. I knew he could become a good leader. And I knew he just wasn’t in the right season, yet, to become the leader he was capable of.
What's Next?
When building your leadership team, align potential, competence, and appetite. For those who aren’t ready, consider how you can help them grow.
If you’re interested in personal development, check out books like The Five Levels of Leadership by John Maxwell, The Effective Executive by Peter Drucker, The Six Types of Working Genius by Patrick Lencioni, or Multipliers by Liz Wiseman. For more focused growth, consider hiring a coach who can tailor strategies to your unique challenges.
Ready to take the next step in your leadership journey? Let’s connect—I’d love to hear your story and help you grow.
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