What do you prefer when a management position opens up in your company? Hiring a new candidate from outside or promoting someone from within. If you always resort to hiring candidates from outside, then it’s time to rethink now. You have been doing it wrong all these years! This is because recent studies have shown that millennials aka the Gen- Y workforce would quit their jobs if they fail to see their career advancing in a company.

So the million-dollar question is how to find out which employee would perform optimally if promoted to a senior or managerial role?

Here are five leadership traits that indicate an employee will make a fantastic leader.

1. They’re not taken aback by failures

Heard of Tesla and SpaceX? Even business mogul like Elon Musk doesn’t let failure get in his way of innovation! One of the greatest qualities of true leaders is that they’re never devastated by failures. Instead of laying stuck when things go haywire, great leaders continue to strive towards their goals by learning from their mistakes. Simply put, failures act as propellers for great leaders. Only after a few failures, Musk’s SpaceX took off successfully leading his team to a whopping victory. Irrespective of the industry, employees are bound to encounter failure from time to time. And, the ones who can revert to failures in the most amicable and astute way could make great leaders for a business.

2. They believe in optimum engagement

People are more likely to follow the trails of a leader when they have a firm belief in what the leader is doing. Do any of your people go that extra mile to get things done or achieve the impossible? These folks make fantastic leaders. When teammates see their leaders sweating day-in-day-out, there’s high possibility that they would follow the suit.

3. They are ever ready to lend a helping hand

Every employee has his/her job responsibility. But unfortunately, most of the employees find it too difficult to tackle all that’s been thrown on their plate. Great leaders are aware of this dilemma and thus, are always ready to lend a helping hand to their teammates. If you come across an employee, who is always game for helping his/her co-workers beside tackling his own workload tactfully, then it’s good news, as you just found your next manager.

4. They are fantastic thinkers

Do you notice any employee, who is always on his toes when it comes to coming up with out of the box ideas? He is also the most enthusiastic one in all those brainstorming sessions. Understand that great leaders do not follow the herd, as they prefer carving their own trails. So keep a close eye on your team members, who often astound you with the most innovative ideas every time.

5. Peers look up to them with respect

When a great leader speaks, everyone in the room tend to listen and adhere. This is because they always talk about motivational, insightful and intellectual things. Do your employees often look up to one of their co-workers for advice? If yes, then that person could be the perfect fit for a managerial role. Since they have already won the respect of their teammates, the transition process for promotion won’t be a hassle.

Takeaway

Do you come across these characteristics in any of your employees? If yes, then you ought to kick-start prepping that person to be the next leader in your organization. A true leader is always a people’s person, so it should not come as a difficult task for you to spot him/her among your employees. Last but not the least, the hunt for leaders among your people ought to be an ongoing task for your organization’s overall growth strategy.

Author bio:                                                             

Anwar Shaikh is a tech blogger. A self-made and reared-up writer, Anwar writes for Pocket HCM, a leading provider of cloud based HR and Payroll Software to businesses of all sizes and verticals across India. You can find more about them on Facebook and Twitter.