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Organizations are leveraging employee resource groups not only to help them groom their next generation of company leaders but also to make ERGs a destination for existing leaders. ERGs help companies identify an even larger, more diverse, pool of employees who have the potential to become leaders. But now, companies are also encouraging those deemed high performers, and as having high potential, to consider becoming more actively involved with ERGs.

Employee resource groups have always provided leadership development opportunities, especially for ERG leaders. Imagine being an employee who is an individual contributor in their current role with limited opportunities to demonstrate their leadership capabilities. Now put that same employee as the leader of an employee resource group, and suddenly the employee is developing a strategy, leading a team, managing a budget, establishing new relationships with co‐workers, and raising their visibility and exposure to corporate executives. Access to such leadership experiences is often a reason many employees join an employee resource group.

However, companies do not want to create a scenario where the ERGs are helping to groom leaders only to have those leaders leave the employee resource group. Organizations need leadership continuity in order for these groups to have sustainable long‐term success. And this has resulted in the greater alignment of ERGs with talent management.

Alignment with talent management initiatives often involves ensuring that strong performers are in the leadership roles of the ERGs. If the employee resource group does not have a strong leader, companies are now starting to appoint someone to the role of ERG leader who is more capable. The person appointed is increasingly someone who is already deemed a high performer or someone with tremendous potential.

The reasons for the need to appoint strong performers into ERG leadership roles are twofold. First, companies realize that employee resource groups tend to be only as strong as their leader. Second, the demand for strong ERG leaders often exceeds the supply. And this has led to greater ERG alignment with talent management. This will be explored further in Chapter 11.