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Growing up, I often heard the motto “work hard.” My parents believed that professional success was achieved through tireless dedication to the organization or company I was fortunate enough to work for. I was often told that if I worked long hours and did everything that was asked of me, I would make it to the top.
When I became chief operating officer at age 36, my parents were proud, but they couldn't understand that it wasn't my work ethic that got me there. Rather, I attribute my professional success to a series of decisions I had made consistently years before. If you're looking to change your career, here are four ways to get started, especially if you're already in management and want to pursue a leadership or executive position.
Related: I wish I had known these four things before starting my own business
1. Don’t do anything you can empower others to do
Early in my career, I was hesitant to delegate difficult tasks because I was a perfectionist. I wanted things done well (and quickly), and if I couldn't immediately find someone to do the challenging work accurately and quickly, I just did it myself.
This was a colossal mistake. It meant the people around me weren't getting stronger and better. It meant I wasn't developing and evolving my team. It meant I didn't have a real replacement or succession plan. Ultimately, it meant I was more of a manager than a true leader.
Eventually, I realized that leadership is not about what we can do, but what we can help others do—so I made a change. I stopped focusing on efficiency and started focusing on effectiveness. I stopped focusing on how accurately or quickly work got done and started prioritizing opportunities that challenged and challenged everyone around me (in a good way). When I did that, everything changed. I developed a reputation for not only being able to develop top talent, but also being willing to let that talent go so they could pursue new and exciting opportunities elsewhere in the organization. When that happened, I just developed even more talent. That proved to be very valuable.
2. Be 110% direct and open
When I first became a manager, I often sugarcoated the truth. With my subordinates, I was terrified that if I was too tough, they would talk bad about me behind my back, withdraw, and still not deliver results. With my boss, I often held back when I had dissenting opinions because I didn't want to “shake things up” or be seen as a naysayer.
I later realized that I had been put in the leadership position because my own insights and perceptions were considered very valuable. I was not fulfilling my potential or the role I had been hired for by holding back, trying to be “nice” or “play well with others in the sandbox.” Instead, I was there to help the organization get better. That meant I had to grow and develop others. It also meant I had to challenge conventions and the status quo – so I became braver and started to say (respectfully) exactly what I saw. I decided to be an honest person in all situations. In the process, I developed a reputation for being transparent, authentic and conflict-resolving. It turned out that was necessary.
Related: 5 reasons why you should say more – especially if you’re a younger employee
3. Set boundaries and say “no”
When I first started in corporate America, I tried to please everyone and said “yes” to everything and everyone. Eventually, I realized that I was wasting my time and myself. I couldn't take on special projects or advance my own vision because I was constantly pushing the vision of others. Constantly saying “yes” to everyone else kept me in a reactive position instead of a proactive one and prevented me from truly standing up for anything.
It's like Stephen Covey supposedly said in his book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People: “Act or act.” Eventually, I started planning my days and weeks in advance with the activities I felt were most important. This allowed me to handle future requests from others from a position of strength. When others asked me if I could help them, I would first check my calendar and only say yes if my other competing priorities allowed it. I would politely let them know that it wasn't because I didn't want to help them; I just had other irons in the fire that were more pressing and already scheduled. This allowed me to act and lead the way I really wanted to. In short, it allowed me to showcase the real me. Eventually, it got me noticed.
Related: Learn to Say No: 4 Tips for Setting Healthy Boundaries
4. Anticipate changes and stay one step ahead of them
As a child, I was taught to have great respect for authority. At some point, I realized that I had always viewed myself as an employee or deputy of my boss, whose only job was to carry out orders from above. So I began to see myself more as a partner or ally of my boss.
Instead of waiting to be asked to do the next big “thing,” I worked hard to understand the business and landscape well enough to anticipate what the next big “thing” might be. I developed solutions based on my predictions, made time on my boss's calendar, and told him my ideas. I asked permission to run experiments and make some changes. Then I implemented my vision and came back with a report of my findings. Sometimes this led to broader changes that affected more than just my department. This gave me a reputation as an agile and adaptable person. Since many organizations are focused on change, this skill is often valued. It has later led to opportunities to launch or test new initiatives, and this experience has proven incredibly valuable.
In all of these examples, the key was to focus less on “fitting in” and more on “standing out.” It's amazing how many of us are seen as leaders when we simply start acting like leaders. Instead of waiting to be “told” to do something, we should be proactive and think about how we can get involved first. While it's scary at times, seizing these opportunities often helps us stand out from the crowd.
Create your very own Auto Publish News/Blog Site and Earn Passive Income in Just 4 Easy Steps
