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Opportunities & Insights from Across Our Community
Hi everyone, here’s what we have for you this week:
How do you facilitate healthy debates in the workplace? In this week’s episode of The Everyday Leader, we hear from Hakeem Akiode from Youverify about how he translated his experience from Debate in school to his current role. Listen here.
Spot coaching enables real-time learning throughout the work week. Don’t just wait until your weekly check-in or quarterly review. Read more here.
How does your team’s leadership pipeline look right now? We explore what a leadership talent pipeline is, why it's important, and how an HR leader can build and maintain one within their company. Read more here.
Read on for more details…
Hakeem Akiode is the Head of Growth and marketing at Youverify, a leading identity verification company in Lagos, Nigeria. Hakeem recently shared about his early leadership experience and how it shaped his management style today. In a conversation with The Everyday Leader podcast host Chris Suzdak, he discussed how he became the president of a debating society in secondary school and had to manage people who were older and more experienced than him. This experience taught him how to collaborate, listen to all ideas, and solve problems quickly.
After completing his studies, he started volunteering and taking up campus ambassadorship roles on campus, which helped him develop his personal development and leadership skills. He learned how to sell products, understand his audience, and influence people. This experience led him to eventually become the Growth Lead at Youverify, where he has had to manage people in a fast-paced environment and provide support to them when needed. He has learned how to connect with people, provide direction, and influence them naturally.
Youverify builds software products for other businesses to onboard customers, verify their identities, monitor transactions, and discover fraudulent activities. Their products are useful to companies in the financial services sector and help keep them compliant with local rules and regulations. They offer services for KYC (know your customer), KYB (know your business), KYT (know your transaction), company search, and more.
Hakeem's experience has taught him how to connect with people, provide direction, and influence them naturally. He has an open door policy and encourages his team to approach him for support or advice. His leadership style is focused on collaboration, listening, and problem-solving. He is dedicated to supporting his team and helping them achieve their goals.
Hakeem has learned valuable lessons through his early leadership experience and has applied them throughout his career. His experience has taught him the importance of collaboration, listening, and problem-solving, which he uses to support his team and help them achieve their goals.
Spot Coaching in the Workplace
Spot coaching is a type of coaching that happens in real-time, as the situation unfolds. Rather than waiting for a formal coaching session, spot coaching happens on the spot, as issues or opportunities arise. Spot coaching can be used to address specific challenges or to capitalize on opportunities that arise unexpectedly.
Spot coaching is an effective way to improve employee performance and engagement. By providing timely and specific feedback, managers can help employees course-correct and stay on track. Spot coaching also shows employees that their manager cares about their success and is invested in their development.
Spot coaching can also help prevent small problems from becoming big issues. By addressing problems as they arise, managers can prevent them from snowballing into larger, more complex issues that are harder to resolve.
Now that we've covered the benefits of spot coaching, let's explore how managers can implement it in the workplace:
Be Proactive
Effective spot coaching requires managers to be proactive. They should be on the lookout for opportunities to provide feedback and coaching in real-time. Managers should also take the initiative to create opportunities for spot coaching, such as inviting employees to share their progress or asking for updates on ongoing projects.
Be Specific
Spot coaching should be specific and actionable. Instead of general feedback like "you're doing a great job," managers should provide specific feedback that highlights what the employee did well and what they can improve on. Specific feedback is more valuable to employees because it provides clear direction for improvement.
Be Timely
The key to effective spot coaching is timeliness. Managers should provide feedback and coaching in the moment, while the situation is still fresh in everyone's mind. This helps employees course-correct quickly and prevents problems from escalating.
Use Active Listening
Spot coaching requires managers to be active listeners. They should pay attention to what employees are saying and ask follow-up questions to clarify any points of confusion. Active listening also helps managers understand the root causes of issues and provide more targeted coaching.
Encourage Feedback
Effective spot coaching is a two-way street. Managers should encourage employees to provide feedback and ask questions. This helps build a culture of open communication and creates opportunities for both parties to learn and grow.
In conclusion, spot coaching is a powerful tool that managers can use to improve employee performance and engagement. By being proactive, specific, timely, and using active listening, managers can provide valuable feedback and coaching in real-time. By implementing spot coaching in the workplace, managers can help their employees reach their full potential and achieve their goals.
Leadership Talent Pipelines
Building and maintaining a healthy leadership talent pipeline is crucial for any organization's success. In this article, we will explore what a leadership talent pipeline is, why it's important, and how an HR leader can build and maintain one within their company.
What is a Leadership Talent Pipeline?
A leadership talent pipeline is a structured approach to identifying, developing, and retaining leadership talent within an organization. It involves identifying potential leaders, providing them with development opportunities, and preparing them for future leadership roles. A healthy leadership talent pipeline ensures that an organization has a pool of qualified and capable leaders to draw from when needed.
Why is a Leadership Talent Pipeline Important?
A leadership talent pipeline is important for several reasons. First, it ensures continuity and stability within an organization. When key leadership positions become vacant, a healthy talent pipeline ensures that there are qualified candidates ready to step in and fill those roles.
Second, a leadership talent pipeline supports an organization's growth and development. By identifying and developing high-potential employees, organizations can build a pool of talent that is equipped to take on new challenges and drive the organization forward.
Finally, a leadership talent pipeline helps to retain top talent within an organization. When employees see opportunities for growth and development within an organization, they are more likely to stay and contribute to its success.
How to Build and Maintain a Healthy Leadership Talent Pipeline
Building and maintaining a healthy leadership talent pipeline requires a strategic approach. Here are some key steps that an HR leader can take to build and maintain a healthy pipeline:
1. Identify Potential Leaders
The first step in building a leadership talent pipeline is identifying employees who have the potential to become future leaders. This can be done through performance reviews, assessments, and talent identification programs. It's important to look for employees who demonstrate strong leadership qualities, such as initiative, resilience, and the ability to inspire others.
2. Provide Development Opportunities
Once potential leaders have been identified, the next step is to provide them with development opportunities. This can include leadership training programs, mentoring, coaching, and stretch assignments. By providing employees with these opportunities, they can develop the skills and experience needed to succeed in future leadership roles.
3. Prepare for Succession
Succession planning is a key part of building a healthy leadership talent pipeline. HR leaders should work with senior leaders to identify key leadership positions within the organization and create a plan for filling those roles. This should include identifying potential candidates, developing them for future roles, and creating a plan for transitioning leadership when the time comes.
4. Foster a Culture of Leadership Development
Building a healthy leadership talent pipeline requires a culture of leadership development. HR leaders should work to create an environment that supports and encourages leadership development at all levels of the organization. This can include recognizing and rewarding employees who demonstrate leadership potential, providing opportunities for peer-to-peer learning, and creating a culture of continuous learning.
5. Measure and Evaluate Success
Finally, it's important to measure and evaluate the success of the leadership talent pipeline. HR leaders should regularly review the pipeline to ensure that it is meeting the organization's needs and adjust their approach as necessary. By tracking progress and measuring success, HR leaders can ensure that the leadership talent pipeline is effective and sustainable.
In conclusion, building and maintaining a healthy leadership talent pipeline is critical for an organization's success. By identifying potential leaders, providing development opportunities, preparing for succession, fostering a culture of leadership development, and measuring and evaluating success, HR leaders can build a strong pipeline that supports the organization's growth and development.