Most young leaders I meet in my leadership workshops come with their eyes wide open and a strong desire to propel their careers forward. Although they are often hired for their technical skills and educational background, they are eager to figure out how to maneuver throughout their team and organization. Contrary to conventional wisdom, leadership skills aren’t usually attained through just surviving on a team, but rather learned and practiced with intention. So if you are an emerging leader and are ready to make your mark, then stay open-minded to learning some critical leadership strategies. It may be worth your investment of time.
Six leadership skills for every emerging leader:
1. Begin By Identifying Your Leadership Vision
If someone asked you what kind of leader you want to be, could you answer that question? You may be in the early stages of your career but I bet you know what type of leaders you have met along the way who have made an impact on your career. What specific characteristics or behaviors did those strong leaders possess? Were they approachable? Were they strategic listeners? Did they focus on your best interests? Could they excite and energize others? Were they extremely competent? Start to form your own unique leadership vision based on the good and the not so good you have experienced.
2. Understand Your Natural Style Of Connecting
Being self-aware of how you typically behave and interact with others is key to becoming an influential leader. Some ways to think about your preferred style is answering these kinds of questions:
- Am I more introverted or extroverted?
- Do I move in a quick or more moderate pace?
- Is it more comfortable for me to schmooze with someone before working with them or do I like to get right to the issue at hand?
- Do I tend to have a louder or softer voice?
Once you answer these decide if the person you are interacting with has the same preferences as you. If not, you may want to adjust your style.
An important skill for emerging leaders is to understand their natural style of connecting with people. Share on X3. Build A Relationship Network
Developing a solid network of people at all levels early on in our career is a high priority. The best way to begin to do that is by reaching out and following through on whatever you commit to. Be a good listener and ask people about their careers and challenges. Get to know them in a more meaningful way. The network you create will stay with you throughout your entire professional life if you work hard to stay in touch and always treat them with respect and kindness.
4. Clarify Your Communication
Often emerging leaders share that an important quality they have seen in impactful leaders is the ability to be clear communicators. Being able to share an idea or suggestion so that others will take them seriously is an essential leadership skill. What are some tips in being a strong communicator?
- Think ahead of time what you want to present so the idea is shared in a coherent way.
- Be specific and descriptive in your word choice.
- Use supportive body language and facial expressions that bring your message to life.
- Stay focused and on point.
5. Step Forward For Opportunities
When emerging leaders are asked to take on a project even if it is a stretch assignment, make sure to raise your hand. All opportunities are a way to grow a leader’s knowledge base and add to your experiences. Don’t hesitate. Don’t worry if you don’t have all the necessary abilities at first. You will learn.
Stepping forward for an opportunity, especially one out of your comfort zone, helps emerging leaders grow. Share on X6. Offer To Help Every Chance You Get
Think about the leaders who have helped you with challenges and made introductions for you. When emerging leaders are willing to roll up their sleeves and pitch in others notice. Some ways to offer help:
- Stay late to meet a client deadline.
- Offer your technology skills to quicken a process.
- Ask a colleague if they need help with a difficult issue.
- Be the leader who your boss can turn to when they need an extra set of hands and eyes.
What additional leadership skills have helped you grow into the best leader you can be?
Right on! As I look back on my career and my time as an emerging leader what stands out are some of my “special projects.” I saw opportunities for improvement and spoke up. Instead of leaving it there, I spearheaded initiatives to make a positive change in the organization. I also volunteered to take on projects outside of my area of responsibility some of which became career highlights. When it came time that there was an opening for a formal leadership position, I was top of mind and my skills were sharper as a result of all that hand raising too.
Will share!
Alli
You bring up so many important points. Emerging leaders need to really map out their moves and how they will get noticed just as you did. That of course begins with speaking up and doing the “ask” for high visibility assignments even if they are out of our comfort zone. Early on in our careers we need to just put our hand up and offer to take on whatever is really needed and focus on just growing our skills.
Thanks Alli for sharing your tips with us!
I always love your posts! You’ve beaded in on so many important aspects of leadership. I would add one more—values. I’ve been involved in many discussions about ethics recently and one thing has become clear: ethics start at the top and trickle down. Emerging leaders need to identify their values and then define them. Only then can they share them with their team (so they trickle down) and upper management (so they push upward). As CEO’s of the future, they’ll have a better handle on how to create company core values that infuse the entire organization.
Thanks LaRae for your kind words! I agree that values are critical to an Emerging Leader’s success as it identifies exactly what they stand for. Early on in our careers, we begin to formulate what is most important to us. Our core values come from our childhood but can often evolve as leaders become more self-aware. Values can include our stance on inclusion, belonging and openness. We need to be clear on what is non-negotiable for each us.