Its often said that teachers help to shape our future and its quite easy to underestimate the important and influencial role teachers play when educating our kids. This got me thinking about the corporate world – who are the teachers within your organisation making the difference to shape and develop future leaders and creating a culture where everyone can thrive?
Ultimately your best teachers within an organisation are the ones who possess the experience to be able to teach in the first place. Having strong management experience and an indepth knowledge of the industry is essential as this provides the solid foundation for others to learn from and this is the secret to producing future leaders.
I recently came across an interesting article that discusses this very topic and they have identified five traits that all organisational teachers should possess.
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Selflessness — Selfless teachers help others succeed regardless of their personal gain. The best teachers on your team will often choose to share success rather than enjoy it alone, so look for those individuals who are willing to work quietly in the background and support other staff members’ efforts.
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Patience — In most cases, it’s simpler to complete a task yourself than it is to teach someone else how to do it. Despite this reality, great teachers will be willing to invest their time and effort in guiding teammates through unfamiliar projects.
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Trustworthiness — Like any educator, a teacher in the business world has good days and bad days. No one can communicate information clearly and effectively 100 percent of the time — with everyone he or she encounters — but you can expect a phenomenal teacher to be honest, straightforward, and transparent in his or her interactions. The best teachers on your team are likely those staff members who already command respect, admiration, and trust because they prioritize honesty and transparency in their work.
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Adaptability — There are at least three (3) unique learning styles, which can make a one-size-fits-all approach inefficient and ineffective. Great teachers can accurately evaluate the learning styles of their students and adjust their teaching styles to match. Look for individuals on your team who are adept at conveying information in multiple ways. They should be strong speakers, clear writers, and adept users of charts, graphs, and other visuals.
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Foresight — When classroom teachers give their students an assignment, they do so because they believe their students can rise to the challenge. They might expect their students to struggle with the work, but they generally do not give assignments that they judge to be beyond students’ capabilities. Successful workplace teachers must also possess the foresight to recognize when a task is too difficult to accomplish. Your team’s strongest teachers are probably those who possess good judgment in many areas. One way to identify them is to seek out staff members who act calmly during crises.
via Want a Straight-A Team? Find Your Company’s Best Teachers
If your looking for your next future leaders within your organisation then consider looking for those individuals that have a natural teaching ability and possess the 5 traits outlined above. Individuals that can have a positive influence on others and be able to teach others to be great also will go along way in creating a positive and re-enforcing culture.
