Demonstrating Your Leadership Potential
I’m extremely fortunate to act as a mentor, both for Limit Break and for a couple of internal company programs. This gives me a wonderful opportunity to share my experience and what I’ve learned from many years of mistakes with people trying to develop their careers in the industry.
This is particularly important because the presence of people from underrepresented and marginalized groups is particularly low in my industry and in leadership generally.
Some of the people I work with in this context are looking to perhaps explore a management or leadership role for the first time, and others are already in management roles and are hoping to progress further up the organizational hierarchy.
So this is what we’ll look at today - how can you demonstrate your leadership capabilities, particularly if you don’t have positional authority, or if your scope and scale is smaller than you’re aiming for?
Often it feels like a chicken-and-egg problem - you can’t be a manager until you’ve managed people, and you can’t manage people until you’re a manager. I’ve seen the same at director-level too - you can’t be a director unless you’ve already been a director.
Most of this thinking is pretty nonsensical in my opinion, but we have to work with what we’ve got.
There’s a couple of different ways to approach this that I’ve seen have been effective in the past. Most of this is about how you can find ways to demonstrate your capabilities without hierarchical responsibilities, and there’s also a consideration for getting yourself more widely known.
But before that…
Examine Your Motivations
First things first, it’s worth exploring why you might want to move in this direction. Why do you want to take on a leadership position, or a more senior role if you’re already on that path?
Don’t do it because you think it’s the only way to progress your career. I unfortunately see technical experts or specialists move into management roles because they feel like that’s the only next step for them. That doesn’t always work out well.
Instead, move this way because you’re drawn to it and you want to help others be successful, not because you think it’s your only option.
If you’re looking to move further ‘up’ the ladder, check in with yourself on that too. Some managers I’ve worked with love having a close relationship with their line staff, and, while that’s still possible in a more senior role, it becomes less of a focus if there are layers of management in between. If you really want to progress, perhaps consider moving sideways or diagonally rather than to a role that doesn’t align with your purpose just because it’s ‘more senior’. Expand your skillset and expertise in different directions.
With all of that said, what options do you have to develop your skills and grow your experience?
Maybe you should become a baker of delicious wood-fired bread
Training, Coaching, and Mentoring
Explore your options for formal or informal training. There’s always a ton to learn no matter your level of experience - understand where your growth areas are and see how you can improve them.
Work with a coach and a mentor or two as you explore your path. I know I’m repeating myself on this topic but it’s incredibly valuable to have additional sources of support.
Lastly make sure that whatever of these approaches you’re taking - and you can take several - reflect and learn from what you’re doing. Do it consciously, and do it with self-improvement in mind.
Demonstrate Leadership in Role
This is one of the more straightforward options. Volunteer to take point on a project or initiative. This will give you the opportunity to show your ability to lead in a situation where you don’t have hierarchical authority. Leading by influence is a skill that you’ll find tremendously helpful no matter whether you pursue a career in management or not.
For those of you already in management positions, growing your influence in this way will serve you well as you get into more senior positions, as will expanding your negotiation and relationship-building skills.
Demonstrate Leadership outside Role
See if you can find the chance to do something within the organization but outside the scope of your role or team. For an example, in my current company there are Employee Resource Groups, designed to help support a range of different groups of people during their time at the company. See how you could get involved in something like this, if it resonates for you. Alternatively see if you could organize a club or society, or get involved in any company-wide task forces or projects.
Similar to the above, there’s a lot of value in this whether you’re just starting out or looking to move on up.
Demonstrate Leadership outside Company
Moving to a wider context, what opportunities could you take advantage of outside of the company? For example, getting involved in community projects, clubs, or things like mentoring programs.
These can be a little bit harder to show the value of internally, to your future manager, but could be a great asset if you’re looking for your next role outside of your current organization.
Network
Throughout all of the above options, try to explore possibilities to make good connections. You never know when these will pay off - they might lead to future role opportunities or a helpful mentoring relationship. Remember to give as much (or more) as you get. Create a positive impression with people you connect with and it will pay off in the long run.
Conclusion
Trying to get some experience before you get the job you’re after is probably going to be helpful - during interviews or conversations about future opportunities you’ll have examples to draw upon. You’ll also come across situations and challenges that you can learn how to handle, which will serve you well when you move into that next role.
Please don’t just do these things ‘to get ahead’ though - if you’re not genuine in your desire to get involved or help out it will show through and be perceived as inauthentic or even manipulative. Try to approach anything you get involved with with a service mentality.
However you decide to grow your skills and improve your experience, make sure you’re reflecting and examining what you’re learning as you go.
Good luck!
When you're ready, I offer 1:1 coaching for leaders who are looking to take their life and career to the next level. Send me an email and we'll set up a time to have a chat.
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