And it goes without saying that internal advancement is a vital tool for keeping morale – and retainment – high. However, in a world where entry level jobs are increasingly technical and specialised, there are a lot of pitfalls to this approach.

For instance, would being the top seller in the sales team equip someone with the skills, or even desire, to nurture a new wave of sales talent? Would your leading technical problem solver necessarily have the same deft hand when it comes to resolving interpersonal problems within their team?  

Perhaps, perhaps not.

For every rising star who goes on to shine as a manager, you’ll find plenty of cautionary tales. Because once you promote your best people beyond their current skillset, you not only lose the talent they brought to their initial role, you also run the risk of losing them from your organisation entirely.

To protect your business from becoming a real-life example of the famous old Peter Principle observation (“In a hierarchy, every employee tends to rise to their level of incompetence.”), it’s important to start preparing your star performers for the next stage of their career right now.

Great leaders require a great development programme.

The best time to invest in developing a managerial skillset within your top performers is before they step into a leadership role. And that’s where ABSTRACT’s AMBITION programme comes in.

This course is designed to equip your junior and mid-level talent pool with a wide range of ‘soft’ leadership skills. Over a series of engaging modules, our coaches will upskill your people with the capabilities to engaging others in their ideas, finesse their emotional intelligence, and become inspirational coaches. Delegates will also get the opportunity to demonstrate their new skills during a high-level presentation to senior members of your team at the end of the course.

Some people are born leaders, sure. But the best leaders are identified, developed and supported from the beginning by their employers. That way, when the time comes for them to step up, they’re ready and confident to go.

Are you ready to turn your top performers into great leaders? Speak to us today.