Lead Now, Get Promoted Later

Take a look around any organization and you’ll find someone in a leadership position who has direct reports, but who couldn’t lead people down a one-way street. Having the position doesn’t equate with having the know-how.

The converse is also true: there are people who do not have a single subordinate but are still recognized leaders. This is because leadership is about influencing people, and one can influence even when there is no formal relationship: you can influence your peers, colleagues on other teams and even your boss.

The time to decide what kind of leader you’ll be is before you get that job. Lead now, and you’ll not only be prepared to lead well later, you’re more likely to be seen as a leader and thus promoted earlier.

How do you lead when you’re in the peanut gallery? Why should you bother?

Make your peers better. One of the explicit responsibilities of a leader is to make the organization better, to help improve both people and processes. Find ways to help your peers succeed, and you’re already accomplishing a leader’s mission—and helping your boss, too. Share what you learn, invite others to do the same, and don’t spend all your time worrying whether you’ll get all the credit.

Offer solutions. True leaders don’t stand around waiting for problems to fix themselves. Put yourself in your boss’s place. Would you rather have an employee whose best trait is gathering piles of data about a problem, or someone who sees a glitch and proposes a corrective course (or two or three)?

Demonstrate integrity. Character is an essential element of leadership. When things get tough, people want to work for and alongside people they trust. Do what you say you’re going to do. Align your words and actions, and people are more likely to listen to you and take you seriously.

Sharpen your communications skills. Leaders spend a lot of time communicating with others. Practice being an excellent communicator. Don’t shy away from difficult conversations, like having to tell a peer that he isn’t pulling his weight, or that his jokes are offensive. It may not be easy, but you can do it respectfully and be helpful. Practice writing clearly. There are any number of courses and handy guides. Your goal is to write so that people understand you on the first reading. Finally, volunteer to do a presentation every once in a while. Most people fear public speaking; if you’re good at it (or at least improving) you’ve already separated yourself from the pack. If you’re not good yet, find a course, or ask someone who is good to help you.

Act like a leader. Stop whining. Look out for your own development and seek opportunities. Take on a challenge or do something scary. Ask yourself: am I the kind of person I’d want on a team I was leading? If not, figure out why and take steps—baby steps are good—to adjust.

Show respect. Not just to people who can help you—that makes you a suck-up. Show respect to everyone. Ever been to dinner with someone who was intentionally rude to a server? How attractive is that? Be respectful of other peoples’ time. That means showing up on time for meetings, making your conference calls, getting your work done when you said you would.

Be courageous. The time has come to outgrow the need to go with the pack, especially if the crowd is indulging in something unattractive: gossip, excessive drinking, lying, stealing.

Take pride in your appearance. If this seems too obvious to mention, look around . . . see what I mean? Wear clean clothes that fit and are appropriate for your workplace. What’s good on Friday night might not cut it at work. I once heard someone say, “Dress for the job you want.” What is the reaction you’re looking for when someone sees you? If you’re going for, “That person is hot,” chances are there won’t be much room left for the thought, “That person is competent.”

Develop a network. First determine who needs your help; then worry about who can help you. Be dependable and generous before you ask the same of others.

Make one connection at a time. No matter how much practice you’ve had multi-tasking—driving while texting, talking on the phone and taking a quick video of a road rage incident—in reality you can be fully present in only one exchange at a time. Do not surf the net, text or email when you’re supposed to be listening, whether you’re one of fifty in a meeting or you’re one-on-one with someone. Take out the ear buds. Put the phone away. Close your laptop. Take a deep breath. The world can function without you for an hour. If you’re convinced otherwise, come next Halloween, dress up as Napoleon.

Know yourself. What are you values? What is beyond compromise? Many people are prepared to make the choice between right and wrong when that choice is stark, when it’s presented in black and white. The trouble is that most difficult questions you’ll face, at work or in your personal life, aren’t simple. We want black and white, we get a thousand shades of gray. The clearer you are in your head about just who you are, the better prepared you’ll be to handle the really tough calls.

Academics continue to debate the question, “Can leadership be taught?” Whether it can be taught in a classroom or seminar is beside the point. Pay attention, make deliberate choices, seek coaching and input, set goals, and the fact is that you can learn to be a better leader. But it must be a deliberate choice. As I pointed out in the first paragraph, becoming a leader is not a matter of getting a promotion; you must decide you want to be a leader, and then figure out what kind of leader you want to be.

There’s no better time to start than now. Spend your energy making sure you’re ready for the big leagues, and you’re more likely to get the call.