Zenger Folkman Reveals 3 Talent Pools That Companies Overlook

- With a growing need for companies to fill leadership positions Zenger Folkman reveals 3 groups that are qualified for the jobs -

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Zenger Folkman

Aug 18, 2014, 01:14 ET

SALT LAKE CITY, Aug. 18, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Most companies have similar concerns about their ability to attract and retain managerial talent. They consider their options limited: Either steal talent from other companies or find the talent internally. The good news is that most companies don't realize the amount of talent they already have within their own walls. Through extensive research Zenger Folkman has identified three underutilized groups of individuals in every company that would excel in leadership roles: women, young supervisors and individual contributors.

"A year ago I started looking at the difference between the male and female leaders that took our leadership effectiveness assessment and was surprised at what I found," said Joe Folkman, president of Zenger Folkman, "at every level, more women were rated by their peers, their bosses, their direct reports and their other associates as better overall leaders than their male counterparts — and the higher the level, the wider that gap grows." Yet despite extraordinary performance women still are not in as many top management positions as men. This group is commonly overlooked, but indeed qualified to fill management roles.

In another study researchers at Zenger Folkman found that the average age companies start leadership training is 42. Companies are losing out on the benefits of training supervisors when they are young.

"If we set the expectation that everyone can grow and progress, if we take development plans seriously, and if we elevate self-development to a much higher priority we can create a culture that allows individuals to develop leadership skills at an early age," said Jack Zenger, CEO of Zenger Folkman. "This means they make fewer mistakes, they increase their likelihood of success and we increase the chances for every employee to work for an effective boss."

Lastly, there are individual contributors in your organization that have a lot more influence than you think. These employees are usually the ones training new employees. They are the technical experts and role models. They give feedback, work with customers and are pool for future leaders. Yet, often they are overlooked when it comes to training and development. But expertise and experience working with others makes them prime candidates for leadership roles.

To learn about these three groups and how to prepare them for leadership roles attend our webinar, Secrets to Discovering Your Company's Hidden Talent Pools, on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2014, by registering at http://zengerfolkman.com/event/webinar-secrets-to-discovering-your-companys-hidden-talent-pools/. For more information on these findings, and how to incorporate them into a leadership development plan, visit www.zengerfolkman.com.

About:

Zenger Folkman is the authority in strengths-based leadership development. Their award-winning programs employ research-based methods that improve organizations and turn good managers into extraordinary leaders.

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