Developing Future Leaders

This past Tuesday our local chamber of commerce sponsored a "Let's Do Lunch" program that pairs business volunteers with local fifth grade classes in our public and private schools. The business buys a pizza lunch for the students and the representative spends about 45 minutes sharing with the class about their career. I was assigned to a local elementary school just a few minutes from my office and thoroughly enjoyed my time with the students. The visit prompted me to think about what every organization needs to do in developing future leaders.

Fifth graders are naturally curious and deceptively insightful. Throughout my time with the class the students were engaged in the activities I had planned, eagerly asked questions, and quickly responded to questions I posed. They weren't afraid to risk a "wrong" answer or to offer an opinion. I found this refreshing and wondered how many organizations have created an environment where this same level of vulnerability while learning is encouraged. In my leadership and management training classes I work hard to foster this type of learning atmosphere. Students soon discover that their challenges and mistakes are shared by others. Real growth as a leader takes place when you are willing to tell each other the truth and learn from it.

Students discovered that their perceptions about careers, like mine, aren't always accurate. They didn't realize that lifelong learning and loving what you do makes a difference in one's career. Are your current and future leaders well-suited for their responsibilities (in other words do they love what they do)? Are they committed to learning new things about themselves and their team? My experience with these fifth graders reminded me how much I love what I do and why I am so interested in the learning process.

These eleven and twelve year old's represent the future of our organizations. Will their current level of enthusiasm for learning stay with them through high school and college? What can we do to capture their imaginations and connect their classroom theory to real life experiences? A 45 minute annual visit won't be enough to keep them engaged. How is your enterprise investing in its leaders? Are you deeply committed to training and leadership development? Do you model a love for learning to your employees? Do you encourage learning at every level of the company?

One of the inherent joys in my work is seeing leaders grow and learn, in spite of their age or level of responsibility. If you aren't investing in leadership development as an organization perhaps you are the problem. Maybe you should visit with a fifth grader and rediscover what it feels like to be uninhibited, inquisitive, and full of possibilities. Give your cynicism the day off and think like a kid again.