Regardless of the type of business that you run, you will have talented people in your team who you will want to develop and grow into future managers. So how do you go about creating the next generation of managers in your business?

It starts with leadership
The managers and leaders in a firm are responsible for developing the capabilities of their employees, nurturing their careers and managing the performance of individuals and teams. Most managers would acknowledge the importance of training and developing their people, but few dedicate enough time to it. The management team should consider that an effective way to attract and retain talent is to create an environment where talented people can develop.

Time
Time is a finite commodity and urgent tasks tend to devour it. Managers who aren’t disciplined in time management and prioritisation may neglect investing time in developing their people simply because they have failed to move talent development to the top of their to-do list. Talent development should be a strategic priority for your business and every member of your management team should have talent development objectives in their business plan.

Build a culture of learning and development
The management team should reinforce the value of learning. They should encourage the creation of sustainable processes to support the development of employees. The business should be prepared to celebrate the successes of employees.

Real-world learning
Problems faced by the business can be leveraged as opportunities for real-world learning and development. Team members can be encouraged to take on new challenges which allow them to develop their skills. Mistakes should be viewed as further learning opportunities and this should be communicated across the business.