Even if you’re not a manager or don’t hold a leadership position, there are still ways that you can unofficially show that you can lead. If your goal is to get to a leadership position, you need to show you can lead at work and show it specifically to the people who make the choices about promotions in your workplace. You also need to be able to do this without using the fact that maybe you’ve previously had a leadership position. When you work on a team, it can create moments of leadership that you may not have noticed.
Some ways you can show leadership on a team include:
- Taking responsibility
When new tasks are set, you should start working on them and ask to do the most recent assignments that fit your skills. You shouldn’t be volunteering for all the jobs, just the ones you know you can do well on and that allow using or practicing your skills. You should also take responsibility for your work and what you’ve done, even if that specific assignment did not go very well. When projects don’t turn out well most people try to shift the blame to others or come up with excuses. What leaders do is take responsibility for the result and the mistakes or problems and then work hard to make the project turn out to be successful in the end. They find lessons in what went wrong and learn from what happened.
- Including others
Leaders should practice including others more because organizations want their leaders to be people who think that the team’s success is more important than the success of any one person. Show that you can lead by including others in meetings, brainstorming, and making important choices. This shows your organization that you value other people’s talents and know how to get everyone involved in a project. The more you include others, the more you show that you are a good leader and can handle a leadership position. By increasing collaboration among the team, you will become more familiar with everyone’s skills and learn about others’ different experiences. You will also create relationships with the people you work within your team and maybe lead someday.
- Speaking up
Sharing your thoughts and ideas about subjects in meetings can show leadership. When in a meeting, don’t hesitate to share your thoughts, give feedback to others, and share ideas when important choices are made. You don’t always have to share your ideas or be a loud person, but you need to ensure that at least some of what you think is getting to the people around you. If you can’t seem to find ways to include your ideas in a meeting, you can meet privately with the people that you want to communicate your thoughts to, either in an email or conversation. If you think your ideas will benefit the team, you should speak up, and doing this will show people around you that you have the potential to be a great leader.
- Asking questions
Asking questions is a good way to speak when you don’t have input you can provide to the conversation. Asking questions also helps others think more about what they are saying and find ways to improve on their ideas. It shows that you are trying your best to understand your colleagues and care about being the best possible contributor to your team. It also shows that you are committed to your team and that you can point out things that others may overlook. You can still contribute by asking questions even if you aren’t contributing an idea. Asking good questions can lead to people trusting you for help and advice. It can also possibly create enough trust to give you a leadership position.
- Delivery
You should always provide what you promised someone and submit your work on time. You should ensure what you do is what is expected of you and up to the standard. When you offer to work on a new project, you should be confident in your ability to complete it well and finish it on time. People who can deliver quickly and still do the job up to the standard are often picked for leadership positions. Speaking your thoughts, being a team player, and asking questions are important, but if you don’t deliver or do poorly on your assignments you will not rise to a leadership position and most likely might not keep your current position for long.
Doing these five activities (taking responsibility, including others, speaking up, asking questions, and delivering) will help you get noticed as a potential leader and can get you a leadership position. The activities aren’t only for leadership, but can also help you learn new skills, which will help you work better in the future. You will rise to the position of leader before you’re officially made one, and your team will work at its best.