Transitioning from an individual contributor to a leadership role can be challenging. If you’re unable to build your skills on the job, how can you show your manager you’ve got what it takes to lead a team?
While you can demonstrate your leadership potential before acquiring experience, you must first understand what skills modern-day leaders require. Here’s a breakdown of those skills and how to develop and demonstrate them.
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As business changes, so do the skills required for strong leadership. In Dynamic Teaming—one of the seven courses included in the Credential of Leadership, Impact, and Management in Business (CLIMB) program—Harvard Business School Professor and CLIMB Faculty Chair Amy Edmondson explains that we live in a “VUCA world.”
VUCA stands for:
- Volatile: Rapid changes, ups and downs
- Uncertain: Inability to predict future events or societal values
- Complex: The world’s increasing interconnectedness
- Ambiguous: Unsureness of events and signals’ meanings
Factors that contribute to a VUCA world are technological advancements in communication and transportation, as well as business’s increasingly global nature.
“To move from traditional management to managing in a VUCA world requires adopting a new mindset,” Edmondson says in Dynamic Teaming.
You need several skills to lead in a VUCA world:
1. Resilience: The world can be unpredictable, so resilience is a must. Remaining strong, flexible, decisive, and authentic in the face of hardship sets great leaders apart.
2. Value creation: At the heart of every business strategy is value creation. As a leader, you must create value for customers, employees, shareholders, and suppliers in a way that delights.
3. Strategy execution: Being an effective leader not only requires crafting strategy but empowering your team to reach its goals and deliver results.
4. Financial fundamentals: Even in non-finance roles, you must know how to read and interpret financial statements, create and adhere to a budget, and use financial information to make decisions.
5. Navigating digital change: One reason the VUCA world exists is due to rapid digital advancement. You must be able to lead your team through digital transformation and leverage technology to innovate and drive results.
6. Personal branding: A strong sense of self and how you convey it is an often overlooked but crucial leadership attribute. By reflecting on and understanding your strengths and weaknesses, you can choose how to communicate the most authentic version of yourself and, in turn, positively influence your team.
7. Dynamic teaming: As opposed to traditional teams—in which a set group of people performs a set group of tasks—dynamic teaming is the process of working in groups that must gather in the moment across industries, functions, time zones, and languages without proper preparation to navigate shifting circumstances and tasks. An ever-changing world requires feeling comfortable leading a diverse, fluid team and creating a psychologically safe environment for it to thrive.
Now that you understand which skills will help you succeed, how can you prove your potential to those in your organization? Here are five methods.
5 Ways to Demonstrate Your Leadership Potential
1. Take a Leadership Course or Program
One way to communicate your leadership potential is by enrolling in a leadership course or program. Doing so establishes that you’re invested in your goal and building the skills and knowledge to reach it.
If pursuing your education while working full time, consider an online program for greater flexibility, cost-effectiveness, and a global network of peers.
CLIMB is one of several HBS Online leadership programs and comprises seven courses over a yearlong span. It offers two learning paths, depending on your experience. You can pursue the "New Leaders” path if you’re an aspiring leader with zero to three years of managerial experience or the “Experienced Leaders” path if you’ve been in management for four or more years.
By furthering your education, you can not only build cutting-edge management and leadership skills but connect with professionals from around the world, learn how to work with international teams, and build confidence.
Related: 8 Real-World Outcomes You Could Experience After Taking an HBS Online Course
2. Mentor Colleagues
Leadership is about empowering others to do their best work. If you don’t currently manage anyone, explore ways to build your skills.
For instance, you could reach out to your organization’s human resources department to find out if it has an established employee mentorship program you can volunteer for to coach new or less-experienced colleagues.
You can also benefit from being a mentee. If your company offers the chance to connect with senior leaders, take advantage of it. Ask how they progressed throughout their careers, built their skills, and what it takes to be a great leader. In doing so, you can show you’re excited about leading someday and applying their advice in your journey.
3. Communicate Your Goals to Your Manager
If you aspire to lead a team, don’t keep it a secret. Tell your manager about your desired career path so they can help you pursue it.
Let your manager know why you’re interested in leadership and steps you’re taking to attain your goal. For instance, tell them you’re considering an online leadership program or that you’ve volunteered to mentor a new employee.
Next, ask for feedback, and be open to receiving it. What leadership qualities do they already see in you? What skills do you need before you can advance to a leadership role? Use their responses to craft a plan for building your skills.
Beyond demonstrating that you’re serious about advancing your career, it shows that you can craft and execute a plan to achieve goals—which is vital as a leader.
Related: 7 Ways You Can Achieve Your Professional Development Goals
4. Ask to Lead Projects
Even if you aren’t in a formal leadership role, you can develop your skills and gain experience by leading projects. While those on your project team may not report to you, it’s a good opportunity to build your leadership abilities on a smaller scale.
If that sounds appealing, take action: Ask your manager if you can lead an upcoming project. Perhaps it’s one you’ve been part of as an individual contributor, or maybe it’s a new initiative and you haven’t chosen a team leader yet.
When making your pitch, consider your skills, passions, and strengths. Communicate how the opportunity puts those to good use while helping you gain experience that supports your long-term goal.
5. Be a Lifelong Learner
Because the world is in constant flux, you must be willing to learn new skills and adapt to change. One way to show your capabilities is by consistently seeking out learning opportunities.
Those can be specific to leadership or management but don’t have to be. For instance, taking a course on artificial intelligence or digital platforms can signal that you’re invested in staying up to date on growing innovations and using them to lead in a digital world.
Position Yourself for Your Leadership Goals
Becoming a leader doesn’t happen overnight—it takes reflection, education, and practice.
By bolstering your skills through courses, leading projects, serving as a mentor, and communicating your goals, you can prove your leadership potential and work toward your career’s next phase.
Do you want to build your leadership skills? Explore our yearlong Credential of Leadership, Impact, and Management in Business (CLIMB) program, which comprises seven courses for leading in the modern business world. Download the CLIMB brochure to learn about its curriculum, admissions requirements, and benefits.
