Leadership is possible no matter where you are in an organization’s hierarchy. People in management and leadership positions had to start somewhere – and most of them got where they are by proving themselves as leaders before they were placed in a position to lead. But the difficult part is knowing what actions to take – and when. Here are five ideas that will help you create a leadership framework even if you aren’t the leader.

To begin with, learn to seek responsibility. This has two meanings. First, be on the lookout for responsibility higher than your own. In today’s environment, with shrinking staffs and budgets, many organizations need people who can take on further responsibility without looking for higher pay, more prestige, or even a higher position. This doesn’t mean that you should “sell out” or take on so much that your other duties will suffer. But it does mean that you should look for areas or subjects of interest and volunteer for projects or duties in those areas. Being on the lookout can also mean that you try to find ways to streamline processes or save money – and share those ways with management.

When management decides to implement your suggestion, take on some of the work that goes with it. Second, seeking responsibility also means that you fully accept responsibility for your actions. Even if you’ve made a mistake, accept it, make suggestions for change the next time, and move on. Your responsibility will help you earn trust and respect, two of the best things any leader can possess.

The next way to lead is to be a coach and mentor to others. Often coaching and mentoring is left for managers or is looked at as an “appointed” position. Don’t fall into that trap. For example, if you have the opportunity to work with people who are new to the organization, take the time to truly show them the ropes – and leave your door open for them to come back and ask questions or obtain clarification. The idea is to show that you have others’ well being in mind and that you’re not afraid to see others succeed. This is where many people go wrong; they look at others as competition and refuse to help them. But mentoring and coaching is the best way to gain respect and trust, not to mention further experience and stability within the organization. Consider the fact that someone in a higher position may ask your “mentee” how it’s going – and he or she is likely to mention you as a positive and motivating factor.

Third, always remember to exceed the standards that are set for you. This means that your goals should be a reminder of where you want to be halfway or three fourths of the way through a particular measurement time period, like a quarter – not at the end. Everyone is familiar with the advice to “under promise and over deliver”. As someone who is leading “up”, this should be your motto. Remember that your first try may put you just above the goal that was set and this is perfectly fine. When other leaders and managers see that you try hard to exceed, they are going to be more open to your leadership and eventually to your upward mobility in the organization.

Fourth, build your expertise and use it where it’s appropriate. If your position is confined to certain tasks in certain areas, take the time to learn about what other people do in the organization. One of the true marks of “high-up” leadership is a big-picture orientation of the entire organization. Leaders should know how each piece fits together and what will happen if something does not work. You should learn these things about your organization and your own area. But above and beyond this, take the time to learn about other organizations in the field and how they work. Read trade publications and be aware of the competition, as well. All of these things can build your expertise and will show you as someone who wants to have a great understanding of the entire organization.

Finally, and perhaps most simply, choose leadership. Leadership has many components, such as acting with integrity, driving for results, and negotiating for consensus. Don’t let your guard down and try to do these things at all times. If there’s a conflict, step in to try to negotiate. When things get chaotic, keep your head, drive for results, and continue to uphold the organization’s mission and values. By choosing to emulate leadership values, you’ll set yourself apart and learn to lead at all levels of the organization.

Copyright 2011 Bryant Nielson. All Rights Reserved.

As we’ve discussed, development is a primary role for training, but there are ways that HR and training can cross in this important function. We’ve looked at more traditional forms of development, so now let’s examine other development avenues for training and HR.

One of the first avenues for employee development is through career paths and curriculum development. In terms of curriculum, training is usually going to work with managers, supervisors, and the people who do the jobs in order to determine what competencies or skills are included in training programs. This in itself is a form of development, but consider taking it a step further to career paths. The career path is essentially a collection of curricula that make up the most logical steps in an employee’s development. This could mean moving from one position to another within one area of expertise, or taking a logical step into another area. For example, call center employees can logically move into supervisory roles from lower positions, but in some situations they can also move into roles such as analysis or quality assurance. With career paths, HR is the training department’s definite partner. HR can tell you which positions people are moving to and from, as well as how department and division managers envision those career steps. In addition, just as you can give feedback on success in new hire training, HR can provide a profile of who works best when promoted into certain roles. For example, the call center supervisors may be more people oriented, whereas the quality assurance position may require more analytical skill. Career paths that are developed as a partnership with HR will be accurate and will also help increase the credibility of the training program as a whole.

Next, coaching and mentoring are also “crossroads” for HR and training. Keep in mind that coaching and mentoring are two separate components of both formal and informal development. Coaches typically focus on a particular piece of performance, such as a certain set of skills or functions, whereas a mentor takes a general focus in helping a person with his or her career path and general career skills. When you look at a coaching program, much of your information may come from the people on the jobs and their supervisors. These groups typically know what skills are missing from an associate’s “toolbox” and in many cases can take over as coaches. Coaching can be formal or informal, but a formal program can lead back to career paths, as an associate’s performance and improvement is documented. In the case of a formal coaching program, HR and training can work together to track, change course, and reward both associates and their coaches.

In a mentoring arrangement, whether formal or informal, the focus becomes a person’s overall progression and preparedness for career moves. With an effective set of career paths, HR and training can work together to monitor the mentor program, as well as to educate and train mentors on their roles. In fact, the mentor component is probably more of a crossover for HR than the coaching component. Because the mentor is focused on the overall career, HR can certainly lend a hand in preparing the program and helping it move forward.

Other informal routes for development may exist as joint ventures between HR and training. For example, the mentor program may include a social networking component such as a discussion board, blog, or chat feature. If this is the case, HR and training together can monitor the social network and ensure that information is accurate and appropriate for that medium. HR and training features such as career paths can also be part of an informal or formal social network. The key with such interventions is to make sure exchanges are monitored. With a joint venture between HR and training, you can assure that information is monitored and that moderators present the perspectives of both departments.

The final area where training and HR can work together is retention, so we will look at the general and leadership levels for ideas in this component of employee development.

The development of human capital is a primary role for training. Development can come in many forms, which we will review. However, we will take a different view on development by determining how we can best leverage HR in this all-important facet of day-to-day business.

First, let’s examine formal training programs, such as classroom, online, and social-media based learning. Depending on your organization and its scope, you may have formal training in place for just about every position. Or, you may have a formal training program that serves as a “funnel” for the rest of the organization. Your formal training program may be a blended approach, where participants attend class and then go to online learning interventions, but it may also use one approach or the other. However your formal training is structured, you can rely on HR to help you evaluate and improve each component. You are probably already evaluating training from the participant and supervisor perspective, but have you ever considered going in tandem with HR to evaluate training?

The HR department is usually privy to descriptive numbers, such as position turnover, promotions, voluntary termination, and involuntary termination. In cases of involuntary turnover, HR will usually know the reason. If this is the case at your organization, you can obtain a profile of what’s happening after training. For example, if you find that involuntary terminations occur often because of certain procedural issues, perhaps training needs to be improved in those areas. On the other hand, if terminations are involuntary because of issues with managers or supervisors, the problem could lie with management or leadership training. Obviously the data HR can give you will not spell out the problem letter for letter, but it will more than likely help you narrow down some improvements to the overall training program.

There are other ways to get involved with HR in employee development. For example, does your organization have an on-the-job training program? If not, on-the-job (OTJ) programs are an effective joint venture for HR and training. Because OTJ combines a learning intervention with job progression, both HR and training can take what they learn from OTJ results and improve programs. If the people that are hired can’t seem to make it past certain points in the OTJ program, HR may need to look back at the overall profile of the best candidates. Alternatively, training may need to improve the components of the OTJ program.

The key with formal development programs is to have HR on board with what you are trying to do. When you begin looking at designing and implementing a new program, get HR personnel involved. For example, if new hire training is under development or redevelopment, involve the recruiters in the process. Just as your area can give them feedback on the potential candidate profile, they can give you feedback on what skills managers are really looking for. If you are looking to implement training at other levels, such as employee selection, which we’ve already discussed, involve HR from the very beginning. This way, you are creating a team environment where HR is closely aligned with training – and vice versa.

With this in mind, let’s move on to the “other side” of employee development, which involves career paths, coaching, mentoring, and other informal training interventions.

As we close our discussion on creating a coaching or mentoring program, you must take the time to make the program permanent. You’ve measured the success of the program in both human capital and otherwise. You’ve shown that success to the decision makers and stakeholders and they are “on board”. Let’s look at some ways that you can make the program a permanent part of the organization.

First, the key part of permanence is to always be a step ahead of the organization. If things are going to change, you need to be aware of the coming changes. To do this, you should keep in contact with your executive sponsors or stakeholders. Set regular meetings with them using the coaching program as a meeting subject in order to keep the program in their minds. Be prepared to show how you’re evaluating and making changes along the way, both the good and the difficult changes. Once you’ve got this “window” into the future of the organization, you can always be on the lookout for ways to change the program with the organization. And when you do this, your executive sponsorship and buy-in will continue.

If your program involves a formal training course for coaches or mentors, be sure to keep that training alive and well – and on the schedule at all times. If organizational members are looking for ways to expand their own careers, they will inquire about the program. This is another way to keep in permanent. Don’t offer the course or the coach and mentor openings too frequently – one of the chief concerns in marketing a great product or service is to keep it scarce. And prospective coaches or mentors may have to wait to get into the program, which is a good thing. Keep in mind that just as you evaluate the coaching program itself, you must evaluate the training program, as well. Keep it fresh and people will keep lining up.

In regard to the coach and mentor “positions”, keep them at a level of scarcity, as well. Determine your time frame for opening the program to new coaches and mentors and stick to it. Conduct a marketing “blitz” just before you open the program each time in order to peak interest on the part of coaches and proteges. When the members of the organization know the benefits of the program and begin to know when it opens, they will be ready to move when the time comes. This tactic can keep the program alive and make it part of the organization’s “mental calendar”. In terms of marketing, be sure to use your executive sponsors as spokespeople when the time comes to open the program. This kind of marketing is effective and is also a definite mark of permanence.

If your program is still in “limited release”, that is, not a part of every area of the organization, go through the steps for expansion. When you do this, you’ll be able to create the permanence that we are discussing. By deploying the program to all levels, you’ll also be able to create the concept of scarcity that we’ve just discussed.

Another way to maintain permanence is to keep measuring and evaluating the program. Don’t give in to the temptation of going through a few evaluation cycles and then stopping. Evaluation takes time and resources but it will be worthwhile as the program changes with the organization and its needs. And as you market the program, the members of the organization will be able to see that coaching and mentoring is there to stay.

Before we finish our discussion on creating a coaching or mentoring program, let’s review the steps. First, determine your goals and the type of program you’re going to implement. Second, take the time to design the program based on those goals. Third, plan an implementation strategy that includes marketing, training, scheduling and selecting coaches, mentors, and proteges. Fourth, be sure to measure the effectiveness of the program through formal, informal, and benchmarking methods. Fifth, don’t be afraid to make changes. Sixth, remember to look for ways to expand the program at all levels. Finally, always make it permanent.

Your coaching or mentoring program is now well designed. You’ve spent time on the details and the program has taken shape. Don’t jeopardize your success by forgetting to carefully plan the implementation of the program. In this step, you’ll need to look at marketing, selection, training, and scheduling. You may have planned some of this in your design stage, but let’s discuss some general tips in each of these areas to ensure a smooth rollout.

One of the most important pieces of implementation is the marketing of a program. Just as your organization markets its products and services to its clients, you must market your coaching program to your clients. And, as with other developmental programs, the sell is not always easy. First, determine who your target audience will be for both coaches and proteges. If the entire organization makes the cut, focus your marketing on the benefits for the organization, the coaches, and the proteges. Consider a training program rollout as a comparison.

The quickest way to sink a new program is to simply put it out there and tell the organization that it was needed and ordered. Think about your coaching program in the same marketing terms. Why is the organization adopting the program? What can the organization expect to gain from the program? What can coaches, mentors, and proteges gain from taking the time to become a part of the program? Use your mission statement and objectives to frame and develop your marketing.

The marketing may get the attention of prospective coaches and mentors, and even participants. But when they find out the level of commitment they may have to have, a few might fall out. This is a good problem to have, but be sure that your training effectively explains the program and expands on the benefits that are mentioned in the marketing. Your training should not focus solely on the definition of mentoring and the steps to take to become a coach. Your training should, in effect, create a mentoring and coaching environment for mentors and coaches.

It should be interactive, focus on benefits, and truly convince the people involved that they’ve made a good decision both personally and professionally. Choose your instructors wisely, as well. Perhaps now is the time to consider using “guest” instructors, that is, organizational members who are not part of the training and development staff. Successful managers, that is, those that have the respect of peers, direct reports, and cross-functional areas, sometimes make the best coaches. For this reason, these people may make the best coach-instructors.

When you begin your selection process, which is a big part of implementation, be certain that criteria for becoming a coach or mentor as well as that of becoming a proteges are clear, measurable, and non-biased. Just as Human Resources must make these types of selections when choosing job candidates, you must make solid selections of both coaches and proteges. Don’t get caught in the trap of trying to find “warm bodies” or simply selecting popular managers. Use the criteria, goals, and measurements you’ve spent time developing in order to choose the right people for the program. And be certain that any decisions can be backed up factually. When you pay this close attention to your selection process, you’ll be steps ahead of the curve when the program first rolls out.

Finally, think about the scheduling aspect of the coaching or mentoring program. Aside from training coaches or mentors, are you going to require regular meetings of coaches and proteges, as well as separate groups of coaches and proteges? If your program is more informal, decide if business-hours meetings are called for. In cases such as these, you may have to confine meetings of informal mentors and coaches to after- or before-hours times. On the other hand, if the coaching program is formal and expected to be part of an overall development path or curriculum, consider how scheduling meetings should be handled. The key here is to make plans for scheduling before you start doing it. This way, your implementation will be clean from start to finish.

After the implementation, let your program run for a set amount of time. You can decide what time frame is appropriate, as well. After that time frame runs, it will be necessary to go back and measure effectiveness.