Well, you can be a manager and have a team, but that may not get you beyond middle management. If you can execute well, you will be promoted to middle management where you have teams and cross functional projects and you continue to exhibit your capabilities to perform and deliver results.
I am sorry to say but performance and results may not be enough for you to get into leadership roles. You must strive to become a leader. Leaders must have a following.
But remember that people do not follow leaders so that the leader can become more successful. They follow the leader because they believe that the leader strives to make them more successful. That the leader keeps their interest always in the mind, that the leader cares about them and that they are better off with the leader leading them.
For people to genuinely believe in you, you must genuinely try to help them and have keen interest in helping them grow.
One way to get into leadership roles is to become the leader first. And it will be not be late before others see the potential in you and include you into the leadership team at the earliest opportunity.
So, what must you do? Develop others! Start with your own team, nurture them and help them grow.
- You can start with knowing them better, in terms of personal and professional aspirations.
- Then you can work on aligning individual goals with that of the organization and create room for each person in your team to get assignments where they can excel and help organization win.
- Thirdly, please make sure that you help them make development plans, including short term assignments and cross functional projects that help them gain the requisite experiences to move forward in their career.
- Fourthly, give them opportunities to represent the team in cross functional projects. In short let them lead on your behalf.
- Fifth, give them the stage sometimes, let them present to leadership to get the right exposure and learn from those experiences.
Once you are happy you are making good progress for team members you can extend support to others who are part of your cross functional projects. Speak for those who cannot do so on their own, give chance to each to participate and contribute, let them flourish. Make sure you clearly communicate the company objectives and share big picture with them so that their efforts are well spent. If you are seen as someone who is helping others succeed, more people will want to work for you and with you. They will look to you for advice.
As more people come to you for advice and support, you will get to be seen as a leader and sooner then later, you will be at the “Leader’s” table.
Develop others to become the leader you want to be.
If you want to talk to Manbir about your next promotion, please book your appointment here.