How High-Performing Companies Build Leaders at Every Level
by Dan McPhilemy and Jan Sweat
I’ve worked with organizations where there wasn’t a clear path for developing future leaders. People who wanted to do more would raise their hands. They had ideas, put together business plans, and showed they were ready for greater responsibility. But they couldn’t see what the next step was or how to get there.
I remember sitting on a leadership call and hearing that an area vice president would be taking on another area because of a leadership vacancy. They were already covering two. What struck me was that, at the same time, I had watched talented account executives who wanted those opportunities eventually leave the organization before one ever came. I also saw high-performing employees decide they didn’t want to become leaders because, from where they sat, leadership looked less like an opportunity and more like taking on an unsustainable amount of work.
The result wasn’t just a succession problem. High performers felt overlooked, existing leaders were stretched thin, and the organization kept losing people who could have been part of the solution.
That experience changed the way I think about leadership development. You can’t wait until there’s an opening to start preparing people to lead.
Look beyond job titles
Leadership potential can show up anywhere in an organization.
Sometimes the most influential person in the room isn’t the person with the highest-ranking title. It may be an LPN, an aide, or another employee whom colleagues naturally trust and listen to.
Look for people who:
- Take ownership without waiting to be asked
- Speak up thoughtfully when something matters
- Help colleagues work through challenges
- Earn trust and attention from their peers
- Remain open to feedback and continue learning
Not every emerging leader will identify themselves as one. Some of the strongest prospects are humble, observant, and more focused on helping the team succeed than being recognized.
Organizations must be intentional about noticing that potential and helping employees see it in themselves.
Give people real opportunities to lead
Identifying potential isn’t development. People need meaningful opportunities to practice leadership before they receive a leadership title.
I once worked with an employee who wanted to become a trainer but had never created a PowerPoint presentation. Instead of doing the work for them, I asked them to develop a presentation and deliver it to their teammates. I provided guidance, but they had to build and use the skill themselves.
Leadership development works the same way. Give emerging leaders ownership of an assignment, an opportunity to present their work, or responsibility for recommending a solution. Let them make decisions within clear boundaries, then provide feedback that helps them improve.
This is different from simply giving someone more work. Development includes responsibility, appropriate authority, visibility, coaching, and the opportunity to learn from the outcome.
Leaders also have to resist the urge to take back control. If everything must be done exactly as we would, we aren’t developing another person’s judgment. We’re teaching them to follow our instructions.
Let people learn without lowering expectations
Giving people room to lead means accepting that they won’t always get it right.
Employees need to be able to say, “I dropped the ball,” take responsibility, and learn from what happened. A leader’s response in that moment determines whether people continue making decisions or become afraid to take ownership.
This doesn’t mean lowering standards or removing accountability. It means making accountability useful.
Instead of focusing only on what went wrong, ask:
- What led to the decision?
- What did we learn?
- What support or skill was missing?
- What should happen differently next time?
Leaders must be willing to do the same. Acknowledging our own mistakes doesn’t weaken our credibility. It shows that leadership requires continued learning, reflection, and improvement.
Leadership development can feel like one more responsibility
Healthcare leaders are already balancing operational priorities, workforce demands, and constant change. Building a leadership pipeline can feel like another major initiative, especially when the organization doesn’t have a clear structure for doing it.
That’s why effective leadership development needs more than a one-time training session. Leaders need practical tools, opportunities to apply them, and continued support as they navigate real workplace challenges.
CHAP’s Healthcare Leadership Certification Workshop combines focused leadership training with six months of continued development, helping participants apply what they learn beyond the workshop.
Create a path people can see
Employees are more likely to invest in their growth when they understand what growth can look like.
Not every strong employee wants to manage a team. Leadership pathways may include becoming a manager, preceptor, trainer, project lead, clinical expert, or trusted contributor to organizational decisions.
Whatever the path, organizations should make their expectations clear. Employees need to know which behaviors and skills demonstrate readiness, which development opportunities are available, and how to express interest in greater responsibility.
Development also requires protected time. If coaching is repeatedly rescheduled whenever something else appears on the calendar, employees quickly come to understand that their growth is optional.
Leadership behavior should come before the leadership title.
Start before the need becomes urgent. The best leaders never decide they’ve finished learning.
I’ve worked with people in leadership development who later became CEOs and COOs. What stood out wasn’t only where they ended up. It was that they continued learning along the way. Reaching a leadership position didn’t convince them that their development was complete.
High-performing agencies apply that same mindset across the organization. They don’t wait for a vacancy, a crisis, or an overwhelmed manager to expose a leadership gap.
They identify potential early. They give people real opportunities to lead. They provide coaching, allow room for learning, and create visible paths for growth.
The future leaders of your organization may already be there. The question is whether you’re developing them before you urgently need them.
Build the leadership capacity your organization needs next
CHAP’s Healthcare Leadership Certification Workshop combines a two-day, on-site workshop with six months of continued development. Participants strengthen leadership fundamentals and continue learning in areas such as change leadership, coaching, burnout, data and analytics, and budgeting and finance.