Smart business owners realize that they can’t build a successful business by themselves. They need help and support from their employees – especially outstanding ones with leadership potential. These are the employees who can help business owners take the business to the next level, says Laurent Duperval, president of Duperval Consulting, a management-consulting firm in Montreal.

Spotting leaders

Leaders don’t always stand out from the crowd. But Duperval says that they can be spotted because they display the following traits:

• Magnetic personalities. Leaders have an uncanny knack for attracting people seeking advice and information. Their peers respect them, listen and follow their lead because they exude a quiet confidence.

• Outstanding performance records. Leaders are fanatical about their jobs. They respect deadlines and budgets; display an eagerness to learn new and better ways of doing things; and will work around the clock to meet deadlines.

• Positive and open-minded attitudes. Leaders see the world from a positive, rather than a negative, vantage point. Their peers and colleagues enjoy working with them because their positive attitude is infectious. This is an important trait for building strong and motivated teams.

• Enjoyment of learning. Like all leaders, they enjoy learning because it builds their skills and makes them better at what they do. They seek input and feedback from others.

How to develop leaders

Spotting leaders is the first step. The next and most important step is developing them. Duperval offers the following tips:

• Make sure they want to be developed. Don’t assume that high-potential employees want to take on leadership roles. “Some people display leadership characteristics, but don't want to take on a leadership position,” says Duperval. “Forcing it upon them can backfire and force them to quit.” Solution: Rather than assume that employees want leadership positions, ask them if they want to take on the added responsibilities, and most importantly, explain why they would make good leaders. “Some employees may not even realize that they have this potential, so it can be an eye-opening, as well as [a] frightening, realization,” Duperval explains.

• Educate. Mentoring and teaching potential leaders takes time. If business owners don’t have the time to take on these tasks, it’s worth investing in training. “Enroll them in specialized courses so they can learn leadership and management principles, along with refining their communication skills (writing and public speaking), essential for leadership positions,” says Duperval. “Many colleges and universities provide these courses at a  relatively low cost.”

• Delegate. Give them a challenging project to do. Provide guidelines and discuss timelines and expectations, and then let them fend for themselves. Do not intervene, except at agreed-upon moments, Duperval cautions. “Letting them be tests their mettle,” he says. “It also helps business owners see whether their instincts were correct, and helps them learn and grow at the same time.”