Leadership skills are essential to a smoothly run organization. No matter how flat the organizational chart or how democratic the workplace culture, leaders will always emerge to direct production efforts. Identifying those on your team with leadership skills, and treating them as the assets they are in fields where being a leader makes a difference, can be crucial. It's also vital that those above you in the organization notice your own leadership skills. After all, your good ideas will never work if you aren't in a position to make them happen. Here are some time-tested ways to show off your leadership skills and get noticed as a natural manager.
Being a leader isn't all it's cracked up to be. It usually means a lot more work, for one thing, and the extra money may not adequately compensate for the extra headaches that come with an official leadership role. For all of that, natural leaders still emerge in any organization. They often rise quickly and make a difference in how things are done. Even without an official title, your leadership skills will attract other members of your team—sometimes even your own boss—and guide them toward a goal.
One of the more obvious ways to start showcasing your leadership skills is simply by showing up. Be present every day. Get to the office or work site first if you can, and stay until everyone else goes home. Simply being there will keep you up to speed on developments, making you the source your coworkers turn to for information. It also sends a strong signal that you're taking ownership of whatever project your team is working on.
Another tip for highlighting your leadership skills is to think ahead. You can never follow a blueprint perfectly, and no road map is ever completely accurate. When the inevitable adjustments to the plan arise, your investment in a Plan B—even if it only consists of restating the problem so that it makes sense to the others—puts you in the enviable position of being the one with the answers—or at least the intelligent questions.
Critical to a believable display of your leadership skills is ethos. Ethos can be regarded as the esteem in which you are held by others. This is essential to cultivate if you're going to lead anybody in anything, and it consists of four elements: specific knowledge, appearance of wisdom, integrity, and goodwill. Specific knowledge and integrity speak for themselves. Demonstrating goodwill can be as simple as asking colleagues about their families or as complex as volunteering for extra work for the good of the team. The appearance of general wisdom usually consists of not talking too much. Cultivating a superior ethos encourages others to recognize your leadership skills.
Taking on a leadership role is a natural step in your growth as an employee. As you learn your business and advance in your career, you'll find yourself being treated as an expert more frequently. Learn to embrace this role, and steady advancement can be yours. Whether your rise is fast or slow, always remember that the road to the top starts with people noticing your leadership skills.
(Photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net)
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