I have many coaching clients that seek guidance navigating their career. One of the common decision points is whether to move into a people leadership role. Here are a few observations:
- Most people are not clear about the responsibilities of a people leader. While some jobs are more of a player/coach, where you have individual responsibilities, many people leader roles are mostly teaching, managing, and developing your team.
- It’s tempting to move into people leadership for the “wrong reasons” – make more money, it’s a natural step in your career, or a leader asks you to take the job. These may play a role in your decision, but they should not be the leading factor in your decision.
- People assume what made them successful as an individual contributor will also make them successful leading a team. Certainly, there are many transferrable skills, but there are many incremental skills that need to be developed when making the jump to leading people.
Simon Sinek sums it up well when he says, “Leadership is not about being in charge. Leadership is about taking care of those in your charge.” Leadership comes with great responsibility to teach people how to be successful (in their own way), help them navigate personal and professional challenges, and to trust that your work as a leader and coach will lead to your team’s success. To be an exceptional leader you must be selfless. A great leader stands in front of their people when they are under pressure or being criticized. Yet when they are successful, a leader stands behind them allowing their people to shine.
Below are ten indicators people leadership may be for you.
- You can articulate why you want to become a leader.
- You deeply care about people.
- People seek you out for advice and to brainstorm ideas.
- You are an active listener and seek to understand other perspectives.
- You enjoy solving problems and have the courage to make decisions.
- You are energized by the idea of developing people, and confident you can achieve results through coaching others.
- You have high emotional intelligence and strong communication skills.
- You lead by example and with humility.
- You are comfortable giving feedback and navigating conflict.
- You are ready to learn!
It is unlikely you will have all the skills and characteristics to excel as a leader your first day on the job. That’s ok! If the indicators above make you hungry for the challenge and excited to impact others then go for it. Surround yourself with mentors and coaches to accelerate your development and enable your success. To explore leadership coaching, please set up a discovery call at whitneyfaires.com.
