Please consider this question carefully. Asking it means that you take leadership seriously, and it would be dishonest to ask if you neither have the resources nor the intentions to provide the support you’re asking about. But, even if you don’t have a formal program for new leaders, you can still support their efforts. You are their leader, after all.

Support in general is a key aspect of a leader’s job. In fact, supporting others as they work to get their jobs done is the biggest part of a leader’s job. Your supportive actions will take many forms, but they’re all just part of a broader support system for new leaders.

* Leaders provide support when they act as role models. From the superheroes of our youth to the inspiring figures of adulthood, we’ve all craved having someone to show us how to behave. This if I had a pattern I could follow it stems from our earliest way of learning. As very young children we watched the people around us, imitated their behavior, and learned about how the world worked. Leaders can support by serving as role models.

* Leaders provide support when they break barriers for their teams. Leaders aren’t leading when they solve problems for their team. But they aren’t leading either if they distance themselves from their team’s issues. Leaders are right on target when they help a team clarify the problem they’re working on, offer a wider perspective on an issue, provide feedback (when requested) on a particular solution, offer access to resources when implementation is imminent, or take a battle farther up in the organization when something falls outside of the team’s charter. Leaders provide support when they eliminate appropriate barriers.

* Leaders provide support when they listen. Sometimes people need a sounding board for their thoughts and ideas—not a surface that talks back, but a surface that reflects their own thoughts and ideas so the team can see their work from a fresh perspective. People need a surface that asks questions when clarity is needed. Good listening behavior allows a leader to do all these things. Leaders provide support when they listen.

Practice these, and add other supporting behaviors to your leading repertoire. There is probably no more rewarding work for a leader to do than to nurture new leaders. The bonus is that you’ll be a better leader for it.