Ambassadors are typically mid-level, emerging leaders who tend to be:
- Highly motivated, with great potential but needing just a little extra development to get to their next level
- Strong contributors within their functional area, but need exposure and practice outside of their silo
- Willing to take on responsibility; accountable and dependable
- Has a growth mindset and bravely overcomes mental roadblocks
- Takes risks and willing to learn from mistakes
- A good communicator and better listener
- Values collaboration, knowledge sharing, and positivity
Now that you understand what makes a good Ambassador, it’s time to think about what other criteria your Ambassadors need to meet? This varies significantly from company to company, but determining the kind of employee you hope to recruit into this program is key to determine early. A few questions to consider are:
- The ideal Ambassador is ‘mid-level,’ but what title(s) does that translate to within your organization?
- Would you like to have a cross-functional cohort, or one within a specific business unit/division?
- What kind of diversity are you looking to cultivate in the cohort? For example:
- Do you want to encourage participation from under-represented minority groups or even focus solely on under-represented minority groups?
- Do you want to consider men as potential Ambassadors? Most cohorts do and it can be beneficial in a number of ways!
- What other considerations are important to help the program meet your needs?
Be sure to CLEARLY outline your desired criteria so it can be included in your internal communications, and be used to vet applicants during the selection process.
