Amplify your impact - stepping into your first for-purpose leadership role
Sponsored post by McLaren Recruitment
If you’ve been working in the for-purpose sector for a while, you might be considering how your next step - both in terms of taking your career to the next level and how you can help your current organisation, or a new one, amplify their impact. Stepping up to a leadership role is a great way of fulfilling both of these.
Before taking the leap, it’s a good idea to really think through your motivations for stepping into leadership and make sure it’s a move that’s going to suit your skills and experience. Remember that a step up will bring with it new challenges and potentially added pressure – make sure this is something you’re genuinely ready for. You’ll need to be able to manage your own workload and timeframes successfully before looking to add more responsibilities to your plate.
Like getting your first job, getting your first leadership role can often be a chicken and egg situation – you might find your applications don’t get anywhere due to a perceived lack of leadership experience, yet gaining that necessary experience can be tricky without someone willing to give you a chance!
The reality is it’s likely going to be easier to step up into your first leadership position when you’re already known to the decision-makers who can see beyond the job titles you’ve held to the potential you can bring. However of course it’s not always possible to do that – particularly in smaller organisations where your move might be dependent on waiting for someone else to leave.
Whether you are looking to step up within your organisation or move outside it, there are a few things you can do to give yourself the best chance at getting that new role.
How to impress on your application for a leadership role
It starts with your CV
If you want to target leadership roles, it’s time to refresh your CV to clearly demonstrate what you can bring to the table and to highlight the transferable skills that show your potential as an emerging leader.
The types of experience typically expected from a leader (aside from people management) can include:
Budget management – You don’t have to be a trained accountant, but having experience being responsible for a budget, or understanding financial decision making and processes is often a skill looked for in leaders.
Strategic experience – Have you ever been part of or contributed to a strategic planning process? Part of being a leader is seeing the bigger picture – it’s no longer about solely focusing on your own workload; you need the ability to be across multiple aspects of the organisation and the work that’s going on within it, not to mention looking ahead and anticipating potential trends or challenges.
Relationship management – This is probably one of the most important skills to have if you want to be a people leader. The ability to work with a diverse range of people, offer support, provide feedback and have difficult conversations are required to be effective in a leadership position.
Stakeholder engagement – While this is of course tied in very closely with relationship management, showing that you understand the importance of stakeholder interactions and how to manage those key partnerships will be important.
Delegation – The art of delegation can be hard for first time leaders who are accustomed to carrying out tasks rather than assigning them. Experienced leaders know that it’s not feasible (or advisable) to try and do everything yourself, so the ability to delegate effectively when required is a must.
Performance management – While you may not have had formal direct reports before, being able to talk about your ability to help coach and improve the performance of others is crucial.
Key skills to highlight to show you’re ready and capable of stepping up to leadership
Mentoring – One of the first tastes of being a people leader is acting as a mentor to others. Whether this is through a formal arrangement or you just happen to be the person that other staff come to, providing mentoring and guidance to others is a valuable first step on the ladder to people leadership.
Presenting at a senior level – Have you ever had to present to or interact with a Board? Being able to present ideas or information at a senior level, whether that’s to a Board, committee, workshop, senior leadership team etc. often comes with the territory of being in a leadership role. Being comfortable talking about your work and answering questions in front of a room of people will be useful.
Project management – Taking the lead on a particular project or programme of work that demonstrates your ability to be across many moving parts and the deliverables required is a good way to show your leadership potential. Being a leader often means juggling several balls in the air at any one time and project management experience is a great way to demonstrate this capability.
Steps you can take now to prepare for a leadership role in the future
Practice your ‘elevator pitch’ - Someone who comes across as shy or unsure of themselves probably won’t inspire much confidence in their ability to lead. Expect to be asked about your lack of leadership experience and prepare a solid answer that speaks to examples of where you have shown the required qualities, even if you don’t have the job title to match.
Be proactive and show initiative – Put your hand up for taking the lead on projects, helping new staff settle in, etc. Demonstrate your willingness to be a leader by acting like one.
Speaking of being proactive, while it’s always nice to have your leadership potential recognised by your current manager or team, it’s important to take opportunities such as annual performance reviews or catch-ups with your manager to let them know your interest in stepping up. Rather than waiting for others to see the leader within you and hoping that they’ll think of you next time a managerial role comes up, make it known that’s the path you want to take.
Support your current leadership! It might sound obvious, but becoming your current manager’s right-hand-man (or woman) is a great way to start learning leadership skills by osmosis, showing you’ve got what it takes and giving you insights into the challenges that come with people management.
Start small – Sometimes one of the biggest hurdles for people who want to move into their first leadership position is finding the right role. Management roles that have lots of direct reports or operate within complex environments may not be the best first step. If you haven’t led people before but are applying to roles that oversee a team, start out small. Walk before you run, and you’ll be less likely to trip.
Lastly, think about your referees and who can speak to the leadership qualities you’ve demonstrated. If you have experience mentoring, ask for their feedback to help you build up your elevator pitch.
As is often the case, perseverance is required when you’re looking to take the next step in your career. Remember that everyone’s leadership journey must start from somewhere, so keep up the motivation and put yourself out there. Make use of existing connections and keep building up your skillset.
If you are looking for your first step into leadership (or a move up further up the ladder), McLaren always have fab roles listed on Do Good Jobs. Find them here.
And, when that leadership opportunity does come knocking, you’ll find some great tips on how to successfully make the transition to leadership here and here.