Emerging Leaders are Making an Impact

Description: This week, we shine a spotlight on the up-and-coming innovators who are reshaping industries, communities, and society as a whole. Listeners will gain insight into the challenges and opportunities faced by emerging leaders, and learn what organizations can do to leverage their skills, passions, and values to create a positive impact.

With such a competitive job market, along with changing workforce demographics and developing business needs, organizations are looking within and identifying emerging leaders to play a vital role. By investing in developing emerging leaders, organizations can proactively address talent shortages, build a pipeline of capable leaders, and position themselves for success.

In this episode, we will share results from a recent MRA Hot Topic Survey on emerging leaders and you will be able to use that data to identify the emerging leaders in your organization.

Resources:

Hot Topic Survey: Emerging Leaders 

Emerging Leader Roundtable 

MRA Membership 

About MRA 

Let's Connect:

Guest Bio - Courtney Lamers 

Guest LinkedIn Profile - Courtney Lamers 

Host Bio - Sophie Boler 

Host LinkedIn Profile - Sophie Boler 

Transcript:

Transcripts are computer generated -- not 100% accurate word-for-word.

00:00:00:00 - 00:00:21:03
Unknown
Hello everybody and welcome to 30 minute Thrive, your go to podcast for anything and everything H.R. powered by MRA, the Management Association looking to stay on top of the ever changing world of HRA. MRA has got you covered. We'll be the first to tell you what's hot and what's not. I'm your host, Sophie Muller, and we are so glad you're here.

00:00:21:04 - 00:00:42:13
Unknown
Now it's time to thrive. In this episode, we're going to be sharing results from a recent MRA Hot Topic survey on emerging leaders. So you will be able to identify your emerging leaders in your organization. Speaking of success today, we're joined with one of Emory's emerging leaders to talk about these survey results and get her perspective on the topic.

00:00:42:15 - 00:01:00:11
Unknown
So hi and welcome back to the podcast, Courtney. Thank you. I'm excited to be here. You know, we've talked a lot with companies recently about emerging leaders. So I think the timing with the Hot Topics survey was perfect. And, you know, it's really an exciting topic and it's fun to hear all the cool things that companies are doing with their emerging leaders.

00:01:00:11 - 00:01:31:16
Unknown
So excited to share that with you today, for sure. Well, let's first start out by talking about what is an emerging leader. I was joking before, but I do love this question because I think the definition of an emerging leader really depends on your organization and what your goal is with the Emerging leader program. There is not a one size fits all, and I share a couple of examples, and one of those is there is one company that uses their emerging leader program to help develop women in their organization.

00:01:31:17 - 00:02:01:21
Unknown
So it's a primarily a male dominated organization. A lot of their leadership is male dominated, and so they're putting together an emerging leader program to help women grow their leadership skills and develop that way. So I do share that as an example, as emerging leaders can be whatever you define it as. But I I'll say for Emory's perspective, we've kind of defined it as an individual who is developing and demonstrating those leadership skills and aspire to grow to that next level of leadership.

00:02:01:22 - 00:02:22:16
Unknown
So I think that aspiration is key because not everybody wants to be a leader and that's perfectly fine. So I think, you know, as we talk about it today, I definitely encourage you to think about your organization, your goals, where you're at and where your company is headed and how emerging leaders apply to you. Yeah, I like how you said that it can differ from company to company in the example you shared.

00:02:22:16 - 00:02:53:16
Unknown
That was cool. So according to the Hot Topic survey, more than half of organizations, 62%, identify emerging leaders. So how do you really know who they are in an organization? Yeah, I think it goes back to defining what emerging leader means for your organization. I definitely encourage you to sit down with your leadership team or whoever is working on this emerging leader program, but to identify what that criteria is of an emerging leader for your organization.

00:02:53:18 - 00:03:21:16
Unknown
Like we said, you know, maybe it's that person that aspires to grow to that next level of leadership. Maybe they have some technical expertise that's important for your company and where you're headed, but really defining that criteria before identifying them. Make sure it's an equitable process. So I think as important as it is to have those conversations with those emerging leaders, you're also going to have to have some of those tougher conversation with those that maybe want to be an emerging leader, but maybe they're not.

00:03:21:16 - 00:03:48:09
Unknown
So if you have that criteria defined, it helps kind of arm the managers to be able to have those conversations. So like I said, and not everyone wants to be a leader and that's okay. So I think it's just important to. What does it mean for your organization? Yeah, that's a great point. The survey also talked about the top three reasons to identify emerging leaders, and those were career development for high achievers, succession planning and maintaining the culture.

00:03:48:11 - 00:04:09:03
Unknown
So as an emerging leader yourself, Courtney, you've taken on a lot of different projects to learn more. So what kind of inspired you to become a leader and be in this leadership role, and what do you hope to achieve as a leader? It's a great question. The question here. Well, I don't think I ever was like, I want to be a leader or something.

00:04:09:03 - 00:04:35:08
Unknown
I don't I don't know. I, I don't think I ever had that lightbulb moment or anything like that. But I think just working for an organization that supports our growth and our desire to learn the business, I was exposed to a lot of different areas of our business and all of the cool things that our members do. So for me it really was just a passion for learning and growing, you know, as an individual, as a worker here and then naturally as a leader.

00:04:35:10 - 00:05:04:21
Unknown
And I would say for myself, I, I would say I'm a pretty curious person. So when something comes up, I just tend to ask questions, probably sometimes to a fault. But I think over the years, really just taking on those additional responsibilities and projects have allowed me to learn a lot about myself. But you know, as far as end goal type of thing, I don't I don't know if I didn't have anything to say there, but I think for me it's really all about the learning and the growing and just, you know, being able to help others succeed as well.

00:05:04:23 - 00:05:33:21
Unknown
Do you like taking on all these different projects? Yeah, You know, sometimes again, it's a fault. I, I always encourage people to say yes to different projects because I think the more you push yourself out of your comfort zone, the more you're going to learn and grow. But I yeah, I mean, I've been told that you need to stop saying yes certain things, but it has allowed me to kind of, you know, move throughout my career because, you know, I had a marketing background and although I still do some marketing, I think I've kind of taken a different path, which I think a lot of people do.

00:05:33:23 - 00:05:54:07
Unknown
So I wouldn't be able to do that if I hadn't taken on those projects, those maybe stretch projects or ones outside of my department. Yeah. For those of you who don't know a little background, Courtney is definitely the type of person to like. You'll go to Courtney for anything. Like any department. Courtney is like your go to person and I guess I have it out.

00:05:54:09 - 00:06:20:17
Unknown
So we talked about finding emerging leaders and identifying and identifying them often requires a systematic approach. In the survey kind of highlighted this in the top five criteria included high performers, high potentials, demonstrates motivation and desire to grow on their career, their behavior aligns with organizational values and their team player, which is what you kind of just outlined.

00:06:20:19 - 00:06:50:14
Unknown
But can you kind of start from the beginning talking about you now personally and share how you were identified as an emerging leader? And did any of these criteria or criteria apply to you? I hope so, no. But in all seriousness, companies do it a little bit differently. But I was just talking to a senior at our group the other week, and I think a lot of companies, when they do it right, they have that criteria in advance and what's important to them as an organization.

00:06:50:16 - 00:07:10:12
Unknown
And then they involve, you know, whether it's your whole leadership team, your executive team, really involving those people and having those conversations. So our each our friends, you're probably very familiar with the nine box. And I know that is something that our senior team used to identify, you know, our higher potentials, our emerging leaders, those type of people.

00:07:10:17 - 00:07:30:08
Unknown
And they had a long conversation around where people fit and where they had room to grow. And, you know, people challenged each other. And I think that's what is important to have those conversations. And so when you're doing that, you know, it really just helps you see and get different perspectives from people. And I think that's what our senior team did.

00:07:30:08 - 00:07:54:07
Unknown
And then for me, it was our senior, my senior manager that came to me and shared that, you know, congratulations, even selected as an emerging leader. And then we talked a lot about my career path and what skills I wanted to develop and then, you know, where within the organization I could even go and grow from there. So, you know, I think it's definitely a process and having those conversations is important.

00:07:54:07 - 00:08:17:02
Unknown
And I think even just being able to be heard and have someone that can bounce ideas off of is really helpful. You know, I think I would say I owned a lot of my own professional development. It was something that I was passionate about. But, you know, like I said, I want to take this training, I want to develop these skills, but also to have a senior leader that's engaged and cares about you is important.

00:08:17:02 - 00:08:38:15
Unknown
But also for them to be like, you're actually really good at that, but maybe you should think about this and like, okay, well, I didn't even think about that. So again, those conversations is really important. And you just highlighted training and kind of other opportunity opportunities to grow. So there are a lot of opportunities for growth employers can offer their emerging leaders in.

00:08:38:15 - 00:09:06:18
Unknown
From the survey, we learned that there's external trainings or classes, mentoring one on one meetings and cross trainings which are helpful for emerging leaders. So were any of these kind of helpful for you and as you're an emerging leader now? Yeah, I think everything you know, I think about the ways that we learn and the ways that other companies engage their emerging leaders, and there are so many different ways that you can do that.

00:09:06:18 - 00:09:26:16
Unknown
And there is one company I talked to and they have a two year emerging leader program and you know, two years seems like a long time to go through something. But when you outline different training classes and technical experience, some shadowing, some mentoring, one on one meetings, honestly, two years, like it's a lot to fit in there if you do a variety of different ways to learn.

00:09:26:16 - 00:09:54:00
Unknown
But I would say for me, I love the hands on projects. I think that's where I learned the most. But you know, America has a lot of great training classes, like I took our principles of Leadership excellence class. I love assessments, too. I the Strength Finder desk are both great ones. After I took the Strength Finder one, I actually met with one of our coaches at Emory and we talked through what my strengths were and you know, we were just talking about it again the other day.

00:09:54:00 - 00:10:22:06
Unknown
And I think it's eye opening when you talk to somebody else about those results because, you know, sure, you take your strengths and those are your top five strengths, but when you talk through it, it's like, oh, but those are actually some of my weaknesses. You with assessments, training and coaching projects. I volunteer with a nonprofit and I'm on their associate board, so a lot of that really hands on experience has been most helpful for me.

00:10:22:08 - 00:10:45:10
Unknown
But again, having those conversations with people because people learn differently and they want different avenues to train and to learn and grow. So just having those conversations is important. I love taking those assessments, so it's fun to find out. Yeah. Oh, that totally fits me. Or I don't know. It's like, Yeah, I know for sure. I love assessments, but more companies are starting emerging leader programs.

00:10:45:10 - 00:11:06:10
Unknown
So what are some ways an organization can start their own emerging leader program? Yeah, so usually when I go through this, there's about eight staff. So it's it seems like a lot, but really just starting with why are you even starting an emerging leader program? And you rattled off a couple of reasons from the survey, but a lot of times it's the succession planning.

00:11:06:10 - 00:11:23:22
Unknown
You, you know, maybe look out on the floor and, you know, your top three managers that have been there for 30 years and they they've told you they're going to retire in the next couple of years. We see a lot of that and then retention is the other reason we see a lot is, okay, we have these high performers and high potentials.

00:11:24:00 - 00:11:48:17
Unknown
How are we going to hang on to them? So I think understanding the why before you build the program is really important and then taking a look at what your companies goals are for the year, where you're going over the next couple of years and how that can be started. But, you know, I think you will talk about this a little bit, but so once you have all of that stuff thought through and then you identify your emerging leaders, you know, then it's so what?

00:11:48:17 - 00:12:11:20
Unknown
So what? So congratulations. So if you're an emerging leader, that can't be the end of the conversation. What are the next steps? What is the training look like? You know, what is that plan after that? And we always tell companies, it's okay. You don't have to promise anything. If you go through this emerging leader program, you don't it doesn't mean a promotion, it doesn't mean a pay raise, but there has to be some type of celebration.

00:12:11:20 - 00:12:31:19
Unknown
So room you know, there's there's a lot of different pieces of it. But I think if you think it through from beginning to end, you should be okay. But really just starting with that, why is important and what you're in aligning your emerging leader program to your corporate goals. So why do some of these programs fail or not succeed right away then?

00:12:31:21 - 00:12:46:07
Unknown
Yeah, you know, I think a lot of companies when we talk to them, know that this is important. They know that they have to do this and they know if they have these people that they want to stick around, that they have to put some extra time and effort and energy into it. And that's a lot, especially upfront.

00:12:46:07 - 00:13:07:12
Unknown
And if you do it right, it takes a lot of planning and it's a time investment and it can it can cost money to go to training and that type of thing. So, you know, I think time everyone we hear, especially in our ads to add one more thing to a play, it isn't good. But if you can help develop the program upfront, I think there'll be a lot of long term benefits from it.

00:13:07:12 - 00:13:30:12
Unknown
So yeah, but I also I always find this kind of funny too, and I know this is one of the stats in the survey, but a lot of companies don't always tell their emerging leaders that they're selected emerging leaders. And, you know, I think it's all great if your senior team or your executive team goes through and you develop this program and you identify them, but if they don't know about it, how are you going to retain them?

00:13:30:12 - 00:14:00:05
Unknown
I think even just from a recognition standpoint, it's really important to communicate that with them and being intentional about it. But the other thing, you know, I just want to caution people, too, a lot of times emerging leader can be associated with more work, which I think is fine, but you don't want to burn somebody out and have the opposite of the retention, you know, your attention goal adding more work to their plate isn't necessarily a good thing since making sure that we're managing that work.

00:14:00:05 - 00:14:27:07
Unknown
And if they take on more what maybe is coming off that point for sure and you just mentioned this, but our survey asked of individuals who are identified as emerging leaders know that they are an emerging leader. And it was almost a 5050 split, which is kind of crazy. So why do you think that is? Yeah, I think it's funny, you know, when we're talking with companies and it's totally normal, but people say like, well, the emerging leaders know they're emerging leaders and they're like, Oh, yeah, of course.

00:14:27:12 - 00:14:53:16
Unknown
And it's like, well, maybe the manager is. Then I talk to them. I don't know. You know, I haven't followed up. And, you know, there's so much going on and people are so much on their plate. But I think part of it is a little bit of fear. I mean, I think there is tough conversations to be had if there are people that aren't emerging leaders and you're walking down the hallway and, you know, Sophie and my colleagues are in a room because they're selected as emerging leaders and it's like, okay, well, how do I get to be a part of that?

00:14:53:16 - 00:15:21:19
Unknown
Or I want that. So I think, you know, it it's really important to kind of know that stuff and make sure that managers are, you know, comfortable having those conversations as well. I also think if you don't have a learning plan, you know, I think it kind of becomes that. So like we talked about, so it's congratulations, you're an emerging leader, but if you don't have anything to provide them, it's just kind of like, okay, well, that's nice.

00:15:21:19 - 00:15:40:10
Unknown
Thank you. So, yeah, but like, I just reiterate to, you know, you don't have to promise anything. So if I think that's another thing is when I was talking to that group of senior h.r. Professionals, they had kind of asked like, okay, you identify them, they go through all this training. Then what? I think a lot of times people are like, well, i did everything.

00:15:40:10 - 00:16:06:18
Unknown
I should be promoted now. And, you know, if you can build out those steps within a career, I think that's really nice and it's something that they can see right away. But you don't have to promise anything, but you do have to acknowledge it because they did a lot of work and they were selected and you're trying to retain them, but you don't have to promise anything is something I'll keep reiterating because so many won't even go through the program and maybe you find out they were an emerging leader, but maybe leadership isn't for them and that's okay.

00:16:06:23 - 00:16:25:20
Unknown
Yeah, that's a good point. So do you think it was to your advantage to know and be identified as an emerging leader early on? Yeah, I think so. I mean, from a recognition standpoint as just it was, to be honest, I was kind of shocked. I was like, I didn't even know that half of the senior team even knew who I was.

00:16:25:20 - 00:16:46:12
Unknown
But the visibility and being able to just be recognized for your work, for me personally, the the recognition motivates me. So I think it's helpful. And I think again, retention as part of your goal with it, if they don't know that you recognize them in the work and the potential they have, I mean, how would they know? So I personally believe in, you know, sharing that with them.

00:16:46:12 - 00:17:11:12
Unknown
I don't see a lot of harmony, especially, again, if your managers are ready to have those tough conversations with those that may not have been selected. Exactly. So moving on to a little different worksheet or what do you think some of the most pressing issues our leaders are facing today and how do you approach them? Yeah, you know, I think there's a lot i think going on and i think we just had a great h.r.

00:17:11:12 - 00:17:34:03
Unknown
Conference a couple of weeks ago and our keynote speaker talked a lot about, you know, mental wellness and you're carrying, well, the individual, you know, outside of work and at work. And I think there's a lot to balance there. And i think that can be hard for leaders to kind of manage. But I think, you know, for me, it's always about just putting the people first and caring about them as an individual.

00:17:34:03 - 00:17:55:12
Unknown
And, you know, really that people first mindset. But I think, you know, there's a change management, there's a ton of change going on right now. And when I facilitate an emerging leader roundtable and we talk about change almost every single month, just because there's so much going on and people handle change differently. So, you know, bringing everyone on your team along is always a challenge.

00:17:55:12 - 00:18:16:05
Unknown
But I think communication is so important too, and I think those go hand in hand. And, you know, I think communication can be a challenge, too, because, you know, we we have a like a subcommittee working on communication for our employee resource group. And, you know, the group all gets together and we're like, well, we already get so many emails that are our CRM system.

00:18:16:06 - 00:18:37:19
Unknown
You know, we already get so many notifications. And so it's like, okay, where is the best place? And then we have, you know, five different states and offices that we're communicating through. So you don't have all of your team in one place and some people are members and hybrid. So the communication is a challenge too for everyone. But, you know, I think just kind of being that people first mindset is what I try to put first.

00:18:37:20 - 00:19:00:05
Unknown
Absolutely. And you mentioned that you talk a lot about change very often. So how do you stay up to date on emerging trends and technologies in the industry and how do you use that knowledge to really drive the leadership strategy? Yeah, that's a good question. I think the cool thing about being an employer association and working at Emory is you get to work with so many companies.

00:19:00:05 - 00:19:15:21
Unknown
So it's I always really enjoy just hearing what, you know, what they're going through and the cool things that they're doing. So I think, you know, we we talk a lot about, you know, member being member centric. That's one of our values. And I think the nice thing here is everyone's really passionate about that and truly listens to our members.

00:19:15:21 - 00:19:39:17
Unknown
So I think that's huge. I facilitate an emerging leader roundtable, so I get together with about 12 other leaders on a monthly basis. You know, we manage the internal leadership program with our members. So again, being able to talk to that next generation of leaders and just hearing what's on their minds. And then, I mean, I, I also volunteer and I serve on a board.

00:19:39:19 - 00:20:02:06
Unknown
So, you know, you're just talking with other leaders all across industries and across the Midwest and the EAA are employer associations of America. So our sister associations, they're doing a lot of great work with their members, too. So I think really it's just that networking and asking questions and just really listening probably more than more than talking is how I try to stay up to that for sure.

00:20:02:08 - 00:20:23:00
Unknown
Well, to close out the episode, do you have any last pieces of advice that you could give emerging leaders who are really just starting out in their careers or have just been identified as an emerging leader? Yeah, I think, you know, when I look back, you know, where I started and how I got here. And I think a lot of the credit goes to the mentors and the sponsors that I've had.

00:20:23:00 - 00:20:40:15
Unknown
And if you haven't heard of a sponsor, it's really that person that says your name in a room full of opportunities and it's you know, you're sitting there and maybe it's a senior level person and they're like, So if you can handle this project or yourself, you should work on this project. And who or who is that person that saying you're in?

00:20:40:15 - 00:21:00:02
Unknown
And when there's opportunities that arise. And I'm really grateful for the mentors and the sponsors that I've had that I do like. I honestly really think getting involved in volunteering to do work and projects and just raising your hand, I think, you know, I talked a little bit about earlier about how I tried to own my own my own professional development.

00:21:00:02 - 00:21:17:23
Unknown
So, you know, if your manager is not coming up to you and saying you should do this or this, I think it's okay to go back to them and say, I'd like to do this and here's why. And then you can do stuff on your own time too. Like I said, I volunteer on the board, and that's specifically just for my own growth.

00:21:17:23 - 00:21:37:02
Unknown
And because I want to be involved in the community. But you can do that on your own time as well. Yeah, that's that's great ending. And I say to the last thing I would say is, but you're yourself to do things that you're not comfortable doing. So I think as a leader and just as a professional, the more you push yourself and try new things, the more you'll learn a lot about yourself too, for sure.

00:21:37:04 - 00:22:03:16
Unknown
Well, thank you for being on the podcast again and really sharing your expertise on emerging leaders and your personal experience of being one too. So to our listeners, I would encourage you to like, share this episode. Weaver comment or review and consider joining MRA if you aren't a member already. Again, we have all the resources in the show notes below, including Courtney's LinkedIn profile and bio, so you can get in touch with her.

00:22:03:18 - 00:22:25:19
Unknown
Otherwise, thank you for tuning in and thanks again, Courtney. We'll see you next week. Thanks for having me. And that wraps up our content for this episode. Be sure to reference the show notes where you can sign up to connect. For more podcast updates, check out other MRA episodes on your favorite podcast platform. And as always, make sure to follow MRA's 30 minutes Thrive so you don't miss out.

00:22:25:19 - 00:22:30:12
Unknown
Thanks for tuning in and we'll see you next Wednesday to carry on the conversation.