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Most people think that because they don't have "President" or "CEO" on their business card, they aren't a leader.
I was at work about a week ago and one of my co-workers, Lea, brought her timecard for me to sign. My office mate and I must have been talking about leadership, because as I handed back her timecard, Lea said, with a half-hearted smile "I remember when I was a leader." She was just trying to be funny, but as she said it, the weight of the statement hit her. She was referencing that at her previous company, she was much higher up the org. chart and had much more responsibility.
I didn't say anything in the moment, but her comment really effected me. I had been working with Lea for about a year and she brought so much to the team. She was smart, she took initiave, she was a good communicator. I always looked forward to hearing what she had to say about work; Lea had all the makings of a leader. In fact, she had been a leader, in action and in title, at her previous company. At this new job, she still retained all of the skills of a leader, she just didn't have the confidence; the problem was that she didn't see herself as a leader.
The next morning, I stopped by her desk to chat. We talked for a bit, then I reminded her that leadership wasn't a title; that any person in a company can be a leader. I told her that leaders self-identify by acting like leaders; I thought of her as a leader and she regularly inspired me to do better work and to work harder. She immediately got the point, in fact she had probably been on the other end of this conversation many times.
Leadership is not a title; leadership is behavior. Regardless of what title you have on your business card, or if you don't even have a business card, you can become a leader in your organization. Here are 6 things you can start doing today to become a leader at your work.
1. Do your job well - You've got to cover the basics before you will start to feel like, or be treated like a leader. Also, if you aren't doing well within your job role, you'll know it and that knowledge will prevent you from having the confidence you need to be a leader.
2. Take an interest in your co-workers - Spend 10-15 minutes each day getting to know the people you work with. First, identify the people who are leaders (remember, titles don't matter) and find out what their interests are, do they have kids, etc. It is a powerful thing to be in relationship with many people in various parts of your company.
3. Make new employees feel welcome - Most organizations don't do a very good job of making new people feel welcomed; that leaves a great gap for you to fill. When a new employee starts, go say "hi" on their first day and let them know if they need any help finding their way around, you'd love to help.
4. Be prepared for meetings - Meetings are your chance to "show off" your ideas and your hard work. Spend enough time prior to a meeting to make sure that you are ready to be an idea leader in that meeting.
5. Give compliments - Start by complimenting 3 people each day; eye contact and sincerity are key here. Find a real reason to compliment, i.e. "I really appreciate all the work you put in on this project", or "You've got some great ideas about how to meet the deadline" Chances are, there are people doing good, underappreciated work at your company; find them and let them know how valuable they are.
6. Ask for help/advice - Nothing is a greater compliment, or makes people feel more valued that when you go to them for help or advice. Most of us have at least half a dozen things that we are struggling with at work right now. Pick one or two and go ask someone for their advice.
6.1. *Advanced Leadership Tip* Ask advice from someone who you don't have a good relationship with. If you go to someone who you are really competitive with or who may be intimitated by you or see you as a rival and ask them for advice, you will start to see big, positive changes in your relationship.
I was at work about a week ago and one of my co-workers, Lea, brought her timecard for me to sign. My office mate and I must have been talking about leadership, because as I handed back her timecard, Lea said, with a half-hearted smile "I remember when I was a leader." She was just trying to be funny, but as she said it, the weight of the statement hit her. She was referencing that at her previous company, she was much higher up the org. chart and had much more responsibility.
I didn't say anything in the moment, but her comment really effected me. I had been working with Lea for about a year and she brought so much to the team. She was smart, she took initiave, she was a good communicator. I always looked forward to hearing what she had to say about work; Lea had all the makings of a leader. In fact, she had been a leader, in action and in title, at her previous company. At this new job, she still retained all of the skills of a leader, she just didn't have the confidence; the problem was that she didn't see herself as a leader.
The next morning, I stopped by her desk to chat. We talked for a bit, then I reminded her that leadership wasn't a title; that any person in a company can be a leader. I told her that leaders self-identify by acting like leaders; I thought of her as a leader and she regularly inspired me to do better work and to work harder. She immediately got the point, in fact she had probably been on the other end of this conversation many times.
Leadership is not a title; leadership is behavior. Regardless of what title you have on your business card, or if you don't even have a business card, you can become a leader in your organization. Here are 6 things you can start doing today to become a leader at your work.
1. Do your job well - You've got to cover the basics before you will start to feel like, or be treated like a leader. Also, if you aren't doing well within your job role, you'll know it and that knowledge will prevent you from having the confidence you need to be a leader.
2. Take an interest in your co-workers - Spend 10-15 minutes each day getting to know the people you work with. First, identify the people who are leaders (remember, titles don't matter) and find out what their interests are, do they have kids, etc. It is a powerful thing to be in relationship with many people in various parts of your company.
3. Make new employees feel welcome - Most organizations don't do a very good job of making new people feel welcomed; that leaves a great gap for you to fill. When a new employee starts, go say "hi" on their first day and let them know if they need any help finding their way around, you'd love to help.
4. Be prepared for meetings - Meetings are your chance to "show off" your ideas and your hard work. Spend enough time prior to a meeting to make sure that you are ready to be an idea leader in that meeting.
5. Give compliments - Start by complimenting 3 people each day; eye contact and sincerity are key here. Find a real reason to compliment, i.e. "I really appreciate all the work you put in on this project", or "You've got some great ideas about how to meet the deadline" Chances are, there are people doing good, underappreciated work at your company; find them and let them know how valuable they are.
6. Ask for help/advice - Nothing is a greater compliment, or makes people feel more valued that when you go to them for help or advice. Most of us have at least half a dozen things that we are struggling with at work right now. Pick one or two and go ask someone for their advice.
6.1. *Advanced Leadership Tip* Ask advice from someone who you don't have a good relationship with. If you go to someone who you are really competitive with or who may be intimitated by you or see you as a rival and ask them for advice, you will start to see big, positive changes in your relationship.
Go out and implement "the six". Let me know how it goes.
Take the lead,
Jeremiah
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