You don’t have to be a CEO to show leadership

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Planned Resources recruit across the niche markets of planning, engineering, architecture and design, property, and government support. We operate​ across private and public sectors in Melbourne, Victoria, and Australia. Here, Alan Pratt looks at how you don’t have to be in a position of leadership to be a leader in your workplace.

 

As a recruiter in my market space (engineering) one question I get asked more and more is: “How do I go about gaining a promotion?”

I want to start by saying that leadership is a somewhat relative label; you don’t have to wait for a promotion to show, or build, your leadership skills within an organisation. Being in a position of leadership is not the same as being a leader, so this means you can step-up to show that you’re a leader at any stage of your career.

Leadership and management are often used interchangeably but they’re not the same thing; they’re different skill sets.

A leading mindset is not about rank but rather an individual’s actions to positively impact and inspire the wider team – and this includes the level of respect, capability, and maturity an individual holds within that space. And when it comes around to a promotion, these are also the three key pillars leaders often use to assess their employees – so, let’s break them down further:

Respect

This is an underrated commodity and in the professional world; it includes factors like building good relationships and connections, the ability to be a positive influence, as well as having a great work ethic like being consistent, inclusive and respectful. Leaders believe in the success of the team and demonstrate this by ensuring others are included in meetings and brainstorming sessions – and by collaborating, you’ll also benefit from learning about a more diverse set of experiences and skillsets.

Capability

This applies to an individual’s performance, an ability to complete objectives, and also meeting the expectations of business leaders. It also implies an ability to learn and continually increase capability as you continue to gain experience, because as they say: “you should never stop learning”!

Maturity

This can mean many things to different people, but to me maturity is an ability to remain calm under the pressure of duty. Everyone gets upset or over excited at times, but maturity is the ability to remain task-focused and take responsibility amongst what is sometimes a crazy world. A mature outlook also helps to build trust amongst your team members, as you all work to meet business goals together.

Remember, self-assessment…

And of course, a big part of being a leader is the ability to look in the mirror and assess your own actions. Effective leaders show introspection, ask questions and seek feedback, and they’re committed to change for the greater effectiveness of the team – so, honestly ask yourself how you stack up when it comes to respect, capability, and maturity.

 


Written By: Alan Pratt, Senior Consultant

Alan is our Senior Engineering Consultant, he has recruited for infrastructure, civil, environmental, building services – and anything else related to the engineering sector – for more than a decade. 

 

Connect with Alan on Linkedin

Contact: 0406 964 976, alan.pratt@plannedresources.com.au

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