Working with, within, and around HR teams and communities, one of the most common topics and problems to be addressed is the aspect of leadership development within an organization.

“I want to develop leaders to grow our team!”

“I want to hire people with the soft skills and leadership qualities to push the organization to the next level!”

Like most high flung quotes that we hear in life, my response to all of these: “Well, who wouldn’t?”

This begs so many questions that many people never ask and that many of those who do have a hard time answering.

What defines a leader in your organization?

If one presented themselves in an interview would you recognize it and act upon it?

How do you develop soft skills and build leaders internally? Can you teach it?

Are you willing to invest the operational time to teach the technical if the candidate has those soft skills? If you are willing, do you really have the flexibility of time and a defined plan to teach it?

Shortly after a 4-year stint in college and the middle of an 8 year marriage to the Marine Corps, I accepted my first position in corporate America as a broker in training. My task was to learn the ropes and get my Series 7 license as quickly as possible as I was operating in a commission only environment.  These stressful times quickly make or break young brokers-to-be. I believe I would have made a fine broker, but was lured away to a different sales position, introducing me to the world of Staffing and Recruiting.

In my time with the firm, the branch was led by a sharp Managing Partner who went by the nickname “Hammer.” I can see all of your mental images now. Scrap those.  Hammer got his nickname due to his last name, not because of his hard-nosed leadership style.  His was quite the opposite in fact, very paternal, empathetic, and aware. I learned a lot from him.

One of the first lessons he taught me was to NOT hold Monday morning team meetings at 7am, as Hammer seemed to love to do. These meetings absolutely ruin the weekends of young 20 somethings that are still looking for entertainment as much as career advancement. Naturally, I was in in a sour mood at 7am on Monday mornings.

It was during one such meeting, in which I was trying to maintain interest and alertness at the same time, when Hammer unexpectedly called on me to participate.

“SCOTT!” He said, as if he had the realization that I wasn’t fully present. I wasn’t.

“Speaking of Management;” (I don’t believe I was aware we were discussing management) “tell us how the Marine Corps trains Managers.”

Stuck with no preparation and confronted with a room full of seasoned brokers and a small handful of newcomers like me, I was shocked when my answer came so immediately and so easily.

After a brief pause, perhaps more for effect than anything else, I replied:

“The Marine Corps doesn’t train Managers Hammer, they train Leaders and then assume good Leaders will naturally figure out how to manage on their own.”

If you want a visual image of what Marine Corps Leadership training might look like in your world, it could go something like this: You call your entire team, one at a time, at 2 a.m. on a Sunday morning, let each one know there has been an emergency that requires immediate attention, and to meet in the conference room at the office in 60 minutes. Then hang up the phone and offer no further explanation.

60 Minutes later sit in the conference room and see who shows up. This is your first indicator. Next, provide simple instructions for a collective task that will need to be accomplished on a tight deadline.  Make something up.

For example, there is an immediate and unannounced audit and the annual budget needs to be written, approved, and submitted to corporate for review by noon tomorrow so they can be prepared to present Monday morning at 8 a.m. You have nine hours to get this done, good luck. We’re all counting on you.

Then leave the room before any questions can be asked.

Go into the mechanical room, cut off the electricity and turn on the fire alarm. Sit back and observe.

Amidst the chaos that ensues, someone, or perhaps multiple people, will stand above the rest and take action. The finished product that is created by noon that next day might be horrific, it might not even come close to the product you requested. Doesn’t matter. What you learn from this exercise and what is demonstrated in the collective actions of your team is invaluable.

Let’s be clear. In today’s litigious society, I DO NOT recommend facilitating the training exercise above.

You can however, create safe and rewarding exercises that borrow from the ways in which the Marine Corps identifies and cultivates a culture of leadership.

· BE REPETITIVE: If you participate in enough of these exercises, eventually your team members will obtain the level of confidence needed to be the one to stand up in a tough situation, take charge and move the needle forward.

· GUIDE RAILS: Don’t navigate through all situations.  As a leader you can, where it’s safe, leave some ambiguity to your project teams and give them a chance to solve problems without your direction.

· IT’S GETTING HOT IN HERE: It’s also important to place people in situations that are perceptually outside of their defined comfort zone.  You may identify talents and passions that a team member never would have guessed they had. It’s like hitting the lottery for them AND your organization. You will also gain an understanding of what they are NOT good at and the tasks they don’t enjoy which is just as valuable as the first point.

· DO UNTO OTHERS: Do not reach a point of complacency. Put yourself in the same uncomfortable spots as your team members.  You need to grow as well right?

· ESTABLISH HEIRARCHY:  In a time where organizational flatness is the trend, assign responsibility for required tasks and allow them to build small project teams to get the work done.  Followers learn to lead; Leaders learn to follow.

· DON’T HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS: Let your team bring solutions to you, you’ll be shocked at the innovation that exists where you never imagined.

· CELEBRATE: Take a moment, celebrate, recognize, and appreciate. Then, it’s time to get back to work. This is where real opportunity exists.

Ultimately, what you’ll find is that the real trick in creating leaders is not trying to figure out how to develop a leader; instead, look for ways to allow leaders to discover and reveal themselves.