How did you get into your first leadership position? My guess is that most leaders are promoted because they were good at producing quality work in an individual contributor role. The logic is that if they are a high-performer in one role (even if it is task-oriented work), then they will be a high-performer in the leadership role that oversees these individual contributors. It usually has nothing to do with what will be expected in their leadership role, which is focused on interpersonal skills. Does this sound familiar to you?
I know that this was true with me. I started out in my career as a mainframe programmer and spent many fulfilling years as a team member on various software development projects. However, as I was promoted into manager and director roles, I noticed that I was being promoted because I was a good software developer…not because I was a great leader. At the time, nothing existed that would teach me the soft skills that I needed to be a remarkable leader. In fact, I didn’t even know what the skills were that I needed. This was a big issue for me, and I had to struggle to learn what it took to be a great leader on my own. Thankfully I did well, but I think I would have skyrocketed to much higher positions if I had known then what I know now.
What skills do you need to become a remarkable leader? Do you have a plan to get there, or are you just waiting around for the next promotion?
If you are a woman leader, learn more about the soft skills that are mandatory for remarkable women leaders in my upcoming teleseminar, “8 MORE Proven Ingredients to Make Yourself into a Remarkable Woman Leader”. If you want to develop these soft skills in 2011, I am now taking applications for my Women on the Verge of Remarkable Leadership leadership executive coaching program, which starts on February 8. Make your plans now to play an active role in your leadership development in 2011.
