Our experiences over the last decade, specifically transitioning from the military into the corporate world, have given me and David Neal a unique perspective on characterizing leadership. One of the questions we hear the most is, "Am I ready for leadership?" Well, you're the only one who can answer this. Are you ready for leadership? How do you know? One of the signs you are ready for a leadership role is understanding and preparing for the challenges ahead. It isn't just a matter of stepping up to the plate. You have to be ready to swing.
Asking the question is the first step, but not the last. In a nutshell, you'll know you are ready for leadership when:
If this sounds doable to you, you might be ready to take that step into a leadership position. If you're still not sure, here are some more questions to help you assess your leadership readiness.
Leadership isn't a "nine-to-five" job. It requires constant evolution to remain relevant. The leader you were when you began the journey isn't the leader you should be today. The lessons from failure and success shape your leadership style and effectiveness. When you shift roles, projects, and teams, the dynamic and the personalities change. Therefore, your approach must change. Can you adapt? You need to be able to constantly evolve.
Poor leadership blames others for mediocre performance or unmotivated teams. Subject matter experts may be involved in planning and preparation, and tech experts may execute the practical and technical delivery, but the leader owns the outcome. As a leader, you need to accept responsibility for the performance of your team and provide a means to isolate them from unnecessary business friction and white noise so they can do their best work.
Your co-workers are more important than you. If you genuinely care about your people, open yourself up to professional feedback on your performance from them. After all, they will influence your projects when you're not present. By building rapport and loyalty, your team will protect your interests (aka, the team's interests). For example, strong leaders fight for raises for their staff, not themselves. The team's outputs will determine whether a leader is deserving of progression. Never take for granted those who surged, stayed late, and put their own needs aside to deliver on a goal that ultimately reflects favorably on you.
Team decisions are your decisions. Own them and deliver the outcomes. If something fails, it is your failure. Learn from it, and evolve. You may benefit from the team’s success in the long term, but your personal recognition cannot be your primary focus.
These are our observations, and in no way are they a sequenced road map to succeeding. That is your responsibility as a leader to find and shape. David and I are passionate about leadership and investing in teams. We believe that people make a team, and teams make an organization. If you have answered "no" to many of the above questions, then leadership may not be a good fit for you. In that case, you have three options:
A useful explanation can be found in this article on change management. On the other hand, if you have evaluated yourself honestly, believe you have what it takes to be an accountable and respectful leader for your team, and you are ready for leadership, then we want to help. We believe that a good leader can lead anyone, and knows how to be led. The Eighth Mile offers leadership courses and an 8-week personal development leadership program. To learn more, contact us today.
+61 412 002 762
Drawn from lessons learned in the military, and in business, we make leadership principles tangible and relatable through real-world examples, personal anecdotes, and case studies.
© Copyright 2023 The Eighth Mile Consulting | Privacy