Jack Welch said; “before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.”

Yet to grow yourself and others, the environment for such growth has to be established.  Successful innovation doesn’t just happen overnight – it needs to be nurtured. The healthier the environment, the greater the results will be.

The environment in which we find ourselves creates behavioral patterns in human development; either positive or negative depending on the factors we are exposed to. To ensure that the experience is positive, the following factors need to be taken into consideration when you want to grow leaders in a working environment:

Equipment and facilities

The equipment and facilities that workers use to perform their tasks should be in good working order and regularly maintained.  It should comply to all standards they need in order for them to do their work thoroughly.

Workspace

The workspace should be an expression of not just the corporate culture but also that of the employees, a place they would want to spend more than 5 or 6 hours of their day.

Conflict resolution

Conflict in the workplace can seriously reduce productivity. Failure to properly resolve conflict is even worse than the conflict itself because it secures a habitual environment for conflict in the future.

Freedom of expression

Freedom of expression goes further than just expressing thoughts and ideas.  This freedom should allow them to express themselves in terms of religion, gender, ethnicity as well as culture.   This will create an environment of respect, confidence and security.

Innovation

Members of the workspace have the talents and abilities as well as potential of acquiring great leadership skills.  One way of developing this with maximum results would be to encourage employees to seek innovation in their work. Here are a few ways in which you can create an environment conducive to innovation:

·        Reward creativity,

·        Support diversity amongst employees and

·        Establish good relationships with your people.

Remember this, leaders do not create followers, they create leaders and when it comes to the working environment or any other, you need to create a habitat conducive for others to grow in.