Leadership makes a huge difference in company culture and morale. Leaders can have the power to build up a company or be the reason for its downfall. When considering a leadership role in your career there are many things to consider. If you have the following traits your next fit could be a leadership role.
1. You enjoy helping and mentoring
If you are looking at the individuals on your team and you don’t want to pour into them, then a leadership role probably isn’t for you. Leaders should want to mentor their fellow employees. They should want to help, teach, and nurture them. Everyone has different leadership styles but in the end, you need to be able to interact with those on your team. If you find it difficult to communicate with those you work with, having a leadership role is not going to make things better. Communication is such a vital part of leading and managing others. If you want to lead, you should be confident in your communication skills and enjoy teaching others!
2. You’re confident in your current position
If you’re constantly overwhelmed and trying to keep your head above water in your current position, then moving to a leadership role is not for you. On the other hand, if you have been in your job for an appropriate amount of time and are confident in your tasks and what you’re asked to do, transitioning to a leadership position will be smoother. The power of delegation plays a role in showing you are comfortable and could be a good leader as well. Delegating tasks shows you have the ability to match talents and duties. Delegating tasks to others is a key strategy to increase productivity that leaders utilize. Through delegation in your current role, you can further increase trust and confidence in employees as well as improved performance.
3. You are comfortable being at the edge of your comfort zone
Leadership isn’t always glitzy and glamorous, often it’s not. Leadership can look like hard conversations, confronting conflict, criticism, and other issues. Leadership is often having to juggle many different tasks. If you’re uncomfortable or unwilling to have hard conversations and be honest with others, leadership might not be for you at this point. When in a leadership role you can be assured that you will have more responsibility. Leadership is not only doing your job but managing others as well. Being able to juggle tasks and prioritize is pertinent in leadership.
4. You want to grow at this company
A leader is someone who others look up to at the company. They embrace their job, show up and work hard. If you see yourself staying at this company for a while and want to communicate that, taking a leadership role is a good way to do that. If you are liked and respected and want to climb the ladder at this company, a leadership role is a positive next step. Leaders are expected to be more committed to their company and their team and have ideas for improving it.
If you are encouraged and excited by being in a leadership role and are ready to be pushed and grow, then go forth and lead! Take that promotion and take that challenge. If you are reading this and think leadership sounds difficult, don’t worry. Just because you might not be ready for a leadership role now does not mean you will never be ready. Additionally, being a leader isn’t for everyone, you can still have great influence in your organization despite not being formally called a leader. If you need help finding a new job or want help to increase your likelihood of being a leader in your career, contact Stratice today! Our experts have all you need to know about careers and leadership.