Embracing Leadership: A Personal Journey and Practical Tips for Transitioning - Patrick Elliott

Leadership is about ambition, growth, learning, and resilience. Some people are born leaders, with the personality, ambition, and commitment to acquiring the range of skills that fast-track their journey into leadership. For many people, however, the journey into leadership roles is more challenging and less straightforward.

Reflecting on my career journey, the transition from a middle-level team manager to a leadership position leading a multi-disciplinary team as a Project Director, co-chair of Governors for a Federation of Schools, and a Deacon of my church was an intentional and proactive response to emerging opportunities.

Each transition, whether from the Corporate Regeneration team at the Local Authority to the Community Regeneration team at the Lottery Board, expanded my skills and exposed me to a broader range of stakeholders who recognized and nurtured my potential.

Although I had an Economics degree and a master's qualification from the London School of Economics, it was clear to me that to progress into leadership roles, I had to acquire additional technical and management skills on an ongoing basis through formal leadership advance training courses, as well as develop key interpersonal and stakeholder management skills. This was critical not only to strengthen my ability to set the strategic vision but also to develop the ability to effectively communicate and lead others to understand the big picture, ensuring they have the right skills and motivation matrix to deliver the agreed objectives.

Based on my experience of leading various teams both in the private sector, local authority, and civil service, I observed that many aspiring leaders are held back by various challenges. The three common are outlined below:

Limited Aspiration: Many people are content doing their technical jobs without thinking or aspiring to leadership roles. In many cases, this is related to innate fear or reluctance to take on additional responsibilities beyond their technical competencies or comfort zone. This means that they miss valuable opportunities to make themselves visible to key stakeholders or enhance other key soft skills required for leadership. More than ever before, it is the responsibility of individuals to regularly review their personal development and work proactively with their employers to develop appropriate opportunities for advancement. The stronger the personal aspiration, the greater awareness of opportunities for progression into leadership.

Inadequate preparation: Getting a leadership role goes far beyond your academic or professional qualification. Leadership requires a more complex matrix including a broader scope of technical competencies, well-developed communication, people management, and problem-solving skills, as well as a strong ability to exude confidence and engage effectively with senior internal and external stakeholders. What steps are you taking to build these skills? While opportunities for developing these skills may be limited within your organization, volunteering opportunities in the not-for-profit/voluntary sector could provide valuable opportunities for personal development.

Low self-confidence: Some professionals doubt their ability to meet the demands of a leadership role, particularly around leading large high-performance teams in large complex organizations with a robust performance management culture. This lack of self-belief or risk aversion can prevent them from realizing their full potential or actively embracing leadership opportunities. Deliberate Low visibility or self-effacing confidence will not allow you to shine and be recognized within your organization, nor will a reputation for being loud or a troublemaker. What is the feedback you are getting? Be self-aware and intentional as you set your personal development goal – recognizing your strengths and weaknesses.

If any of these resonate with you, here are three tips to get you started

Self-Assessment: Your current situation plays a crucial part. Therefore, it is important to take a holistic view of all aspects such as your motivation to lead, family and personal commitments, willingness to travel, commitment to further learning, and willingness to take a pay cut or reduced benefits. Examples of questions to ask yourself include, “Am I ready for a leadership role”? “What’s my motivation?” What are the barriers and risks? These reflective questions can help you establish your readiness for leadership and identify the steps that you might need to take.

Evaluate your organisational culture: A key question to consider is, can your current organisation offer you the learning and development you need to progress to a leadership role? If the answer is negative, what are your options? You might want to consider volunteering as a Trustee in a charitable organisation or a School Governor in a school; both can offer you a breadth of experience and preparation for leadership.

Embrace Mentoring: Connect and engage with experienced leaders who can provide insights into the roles and competencies required for leadership. By observing and learning from their experiences, you can identify the skills you need to develop and build confidence in your ability to lead. Mentoring can be a formal or informal arrangement. Be bold and reach out to other professionals or find out whether your organisation has a mentoring program.

Alternatively, you can take a bold step and move to another organisation. Sometimes it may be that after a lengthy period within the same organization your potential is taken for granted and a change or employment may be the right step for you, depending on your circumstances. e benefits.

Conclusion

Stepping into a leadership role may seem daunting, but by understanding the challenges and taking proactive steps to prepare, you can develop the competencies required to succeed.

Starting with self-assessment you will begin to get a clearer picture of your attitude to and potential for leadership roles. Mentoring or voluntary sector roles can provide clarity and build your confidence. Recognising the importance of professional visibility, lifelong learning, and key soft skills including people and change management will help build a stronger foundation to step into leadership roles.