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Ten Steps to Avoid A Leadership Crisis
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Based on our many years of coaching and mentoring team leaders we offer the following ten steps to avoid a leadership crisis in an organization.  This list was inspired by a similar listing developed by John Nirenberg and presented in an article published by the Conference Board in 2001.

  1. 1.Have the courage to admit you are enamored with the appeal of the superstars, but leave their employment to those that wish to be entertained.
     
  2. 2.Know what you need and why you need it; establish clear missions and specific goals for your teams.
     
  3. Define the skills needed to lead the strategies and critical success factors driving the organization; consciously seek talented team leaders whose skills fit with each team's specific needs.
     
  4. 4.Create an internal team leader development program using coaches to support and prepare leaders at all levels in the exectution of team processes needed to reach team goals.
     
  5. When seeking a new team leader, always have at least three suitable candidates able to meet your needs; don't fish in small pools; engage professional recruiters to help identify and attract top candidates from outside the organization; provide a coach to help the new team leader quickly establish their leadership role.
     
  6. 6.Know what will constitute a sensible reward and compensation package for your team leaders . . . it need not be the most generous, the biggest, or without performance requirements . . . require performance before the payoff.
      
  7. Require that your team leaders develop and implement processes and systems that drive a discipline of personal accountability . . . set specific deadlines . . . help identify barriers and provide resources to help overcome obstacles.
     
  8. 8.Prepare for each team leader's successor as soon as that individual is hired; use mentors to groom potential successors to each team leader.
     
  9. 9.Develop the courage to be patient; give time so each new or incumbent team leader can make real change happen without being forced into the realm of needing monumental returns instantly; in large organizations, the top teams may take years for their leaders to settle into their positions and for the organizational immune system to be readied for and coaxed through dramatic change.
     
  10. Help faltering team leaders increase their capacity for personal development and change long before the ax falls . . . indicators are usually present that remediation is needed . . . provide coaches and mentors before the point of no return.