Aggressive intentional assignmentology is the deliberate use of aligned job assignments to optimize and complete leadership development by matching the right person to the right challenge at the right time with the right boss or supervisor. Importantly, this can be done regardless of the size of the enterprise.
Smaller enterprises work hard to find individuals with the necessary KSAs to deliver high-quality service. Usually, these individuals have been attracted to activities (e.g. welding, sales, etc.) where there are some natural abilities, and in many cases have completed various certification programs (e.g. electrician, mason, IT, etc.). The “whole” individual shows up, and it is the additional KSAs that need to be carefully evaluated to know if an individual has the potential to supervise or manage others. Assuming good decisions have been made in selecting talent, being as intentional about giving them assignments—especially the ambitious, eager learner—confirms their capabilities and adds to the business.
Experience always was, is, and will be the best developer. The 70/20/10 guide established that most of the things successful leaders have when they do well, they report as coming from hands-on experiences. The rest comes from bosses and others, and self-development via courses, workshops, and reading.
Several types of hands-on experiences should be used in combination to develop top leaders.
Full-Time Jobs
The number one source of the lessons of leadership experiences comes from jobs. Whatever job a candidate lands in, the learning experience often unfolds without adequately considering its implications for future responsibilities. We are suggesting a deliberate strategy to identify assignments, opportunities, even if short-term, that expose the individual to new perspectives of the enterprise and new capabilities to develop.
To make the assignments the best possible, takes forward-back scenario planning. You must ask, potential and development for what? And what is the time horizon you are working with—2, 3, 5,10 years?
There are 23 different types of jobs that teach different skills and perspectives (an Assignmentology tool from TalentTelligent). There are experiences like start-ups, fix-its, M&A, large-scale and scope assignments, change management, international assignments, plus more. Depending on what the emerging leader’s personal and leadership package needs to complete for a destination job, it will determine the types of assignments they are given and through which they are placed. Yes, even an enterprise of 5 people needs to manage change, start up a new line of products, or develop new internal procedures, and all of these can enable an employee to develop in their range of skills.
An additional consideration, as you think long term, is lines of business. In ten years, what businesses will we be in? Depending on the destination, exposure to one, more, or all aspects of the enterprise is required.
Consider an assignment or two that require learning about those aspects of a future role that create more enterprise agility—a greater capability of responding to market changes.
An important additional consideration is bosses/supervisors.
Bosses teach by active development and/or being a role model or exemplar. Being assigned to bosses with something to offer that a specific employee needs is a booster for development. Bad bosses will drive talent to leave.
Make sure to identify all of the chances to build a leader through experiences inside the enterprise. Prioritize the assignments needed for a given context.
Short Term Assignments
Many lessons of leadership can be taught with tasks and initiatives while they are in full-time jobs at the same time, like task forces and special projects. We wrote a book containing a starter list of 88 less than full time assignments available from the Center for Creative Leadership Bookstore or Amazon or eBay. Eighty-Eight Assignments for Development in Place. Often people are given new positions to provide them with developmental experiences. But what if such a move is not possible? This reference contains 88 assignments that can be added to a job, offering double individual developmental opportunities. They also hold the attention of and retain talented and eager employees. Developmental bosses will create opportunities to do part-time assignments. Bad bosses won’t.
Exposures and Experiences
Along with all the above, are taking opportunities for very short-term exposures and experiences. As brief as a lunch meeting with a Board Member or accompanying the CEO or Founder on a speaking trip, where I carry bags and manage microphones. You are exploring the learning agility of talent. They are quick studies. Embarking on a trip to Washington or the State capital to lobby for the organization could provide valuable lessons that are essential 10 years later as a leader. Sitting in on a meeting with an activist investor. Spending a day in the warehouse or riding the delivery truck. Sitting in on a meeting with a material customer. Sitting in on a meeting with government regulators. Being a backbencher in meetings higher up the chain with no role, just as an observer. Attending another function’s off-site meeting, if the enterprise is large enough.
As many of these opportunities as time will allow, targeted and aligned to estimated future needs.
Intentional Assignmentology
Begin with the raw material and then add the right targeted full-time jobs, as many great bosses as possible, numerous short-term assignments, and unlimited aligned experiences and exposures. All with an eye toward the final, most likely destination.
In a smaller enterprise, an “Assignmentology Director” may be the founder, primary manager, or, if the organization is large enough, a member of the C-Suite is designated to execute the bench strength plan. The ideal Assignmentology Director is someone who is dedicated to nurturing and implementing proven Talent Management methods and processes, possesses great influence and relationship skills, and intends to hold the position for a long time. They must be courageous and strong enough to convince key enterprise stakeholders to cooperate with the grand plan. And be able to convince employees to tolerate the frequent life balance-threatening moves—some assignments take more time, involve more travel.
Assignmentology Works
Talent Management methods as we’ve outlined above work! They save resources, nurture talent, and build the capabilities essential for a thriving enterprise. Some organizations may not be large enough to have a dedicated talent management professional to facilitate the processes critical to building bench strength, but hiring a talent management professional consultant to help develop the methods relevant to a given enterprise is an investment with many returns. The Founder or leadership team of an organization is ultimately responsible for fostering the kinds of activities that select and develop the talent essential to get things done.
In the end, Intentional Assignmentology is at best a long game, but sometimes becomes contracted because of the size of the enterprise. The leaders we’re shaping today will step into roles that don’t even exist now, serving customers we haven’t yet captured, in markets we can barely imagine. The executives who design and approve these assignments may get to see the benefits of this work when there is a short runway, but in many cases the outcomes are evident years later.
That is the true work of succession: building leaders for a future that belongs to someone else. If we want benches full of ready, exceptional talent, we must treat the assignments, the exposures, and the developmental experiences as non-negotiable.
Great leadership doesn’t happen by chance-it is engineered through intentional assignments, courageous planning, and the discipline to follow through. Start now, because the future is already on its way.
