You Don’t Need to Be “the Boss” to Be a Leader
Three takeaways:
Rising through the ranks in the professional world can too often be viewed through the prism of “years of experience” or earned credentials. This is a misconception. The best credential for climbing the ladder is demonstrated leadership, which can be performed by any member of the team regardless of rank.
Becoming an influential leader begins with shifting your perspective and mindset. You can adopt a wider vision for your company or teams’ future, and then making colleagues believe in and work towards that vision. Here are three steps to doing so:
- Devote time to daily growth: You have to help yourself before you can help others. Seek out mentorship, and ask questions of those who have achieved what you want to achieve. Actively learn outside of work, and study psychology to understand human the forces that inform group motivation, safety, and cooperation.
- Discover and embrace your personal strengths: While it can be productive to attack your perceived weaknesses, building influence can be better advanced by discovering and developing your innate strengths. These strengths are what set you apart from others. By highlighting these strengths, superiors will know how and when to trust you to add value in those specific areas. This trust will make you feel empowered and valued.
- Improve your ability to connect with people: Not all leaders need to be charismatic public speakers, but they do need to be adept interpersonal connectors. This often involves direct, clear communication and– in turn– active and intentional listening. Communicating in a way that feels accessible and relatable to others will ultimately increase your ability to influence. To do this, be as vulnerable and authentic with others as you can. In listening, be as empathetic as possible.
As you build these qualities, your influence will grow and your career trajectory will improve. By focusing on personal growth, embracing your unique strengths, and forging deeper connections, you will shorten the path to reaching your goals.
By Matt Mayberry for The Harvard Business Review
Read the whole story.
Note: At the time of this posting Harvard Business Review offers two free article views per month. Four if you register for a free account.