How to find leaders in your organization

Sometimes you wonder how your technical management ever got to be a manager or even a director without knowing the fundamentals of leading people who have emotions and are not like computers. Effective leadership can easily be seen in action, you just don't recognize it until you miss it.

I was thinking on how can effective leaders find other effective leaders that are in the rank and file and mentor them to become managers one day. Often in technology when the company is growing it promotes people to fast and the basis for promotion often has little to do with their skill set, but more on who they know, how many people in decision making like said person, and have they worked hard and generally likeable. They don't interview them extensively like they would someone from the outside, but they should.

Finding leaders is difficult if you don't know your people. You have to get into the details of your projects and identify them. Walk and talk among all levels of your employees. Hewlett and Packard did so, and they were exceptional leaders. A good leader can lead a small project successfully, so identify promising people and give them a small project. If they succeed, give them a bigger project, then bigger, then you will have a great idea if they have the capability to lead. Don't promote to fast, as experience can only be earned by hard work and failing. Seeing how someone rebounds from a failure is a great test of character.