Applying for a leadership role? This article is for you.

I want to share a story with you today.

My Leadership Journey started many years back, when I was working as a junior recruiter.

My goal was to recruit as many talented people as possible, because I thought that this would qualify me for a leadership position. I was dead wrong.

The harsh reality was that I actually lacked quite a lot of the skills necessary for the role.
I didn’t realize what a leadership role really entailed; what leadership really meant.

I used to think that the more tasks I do, the harder I work, the sooner I’ll get noticed and get a promotion.
It was only later that I found out that this isn’t how it works at all.

Because so many of my clients come to me with this exact problem, and because it was such a huge learning curve for me, I want to share some of my insights and experience with you.

So, do you want to move up in your career and learn how to be a leader?

Here are three useful bits of information you’ll need before you have a chance of getting that role.

Understanding the tools of the trade

Being a leader is one of the most dynamic and engaging roles you’ll ever find yourself in.
However, the skills that are required for roles at this level are quite different to the skills you’d be expected to have mastered at lower-tier roles.

In a leadership role, It’s all about utilising your soft skills or personal attributes to get the most out of your team.
You’ll need to be an effective communicator adept at influencing others, as well as be able to motivate your team and make sure they believe in your vision.

So you’ve got a suitcase full of soft skills…. Now what?

It’s one thing building up the necessary skills for a leadership role, and it’s another thing entirely to actually get a leadership role.

Most roles at this level are actually not advertised, so you’ll need to go through your network in order to get a shot.

However, if you’ve been in your industry for any respectable length of time, this shouldn’t be a problem.
One important thing to note is that job interviews at this level are markedly different from those at a lower level. 

Interviews for worker or specialist roles are typically rigidly structured, as they’re usually following a behavioural interview guide. They’re looking to assess why you want the job, and how you’ll fit into the culture of the company.

Executive interviews are more informal and can delve into more personal lines of questioning. They want to really understand where you’re coming from, and what you can add to the company, so they’ll be interested in hearing any real-life examples of problems you have found solutions to in your previous roles.

However, they also want YOU to interview them as much as they’re interviewing you.

What kind of leader will you be?

So I’ve talked a bit about what sort of skills you’ll need to be a leader, and you know what to expect in an executive interview – but you’re not quite ready yet.

You’ll also need to understand what separates a leader from just a regular boss.
Now, there are actually a lot of things that one could say about this difference – one of the most salient points that come to mind is that a boss simply delegates tasks, while a leader actually supports their team in completing those tasks to the best of their abilities.

Now, this is huge, but I’ll put it to you that the key difference actually lies not in what a person does, but how they think.

You see, the role of the leader is to be a problem solving machine and help their team overcome any roadblock they come across.

True leaders don’t think about themselves or finances first – they think about their team. 
They understand that without their team, they aren’t really a leader, and they don’t really have a business.

Now that you have all this information, you must be wondering…

“Thai, how do I apply all this to my life? There’s so much to think about. Isn’t there an easier way?”

I’m glad you asked.

I’m actually hosting a professional networking event centered around the topic of leadership.

We have a panel of four speakers who are amazing leaders in their own right, and they’re actually going to be sharing their stories with us.

But there’s not much time – this event is actually tonight! 

So if you want to find out how to get into a leadership position from a panel of experts, this is your last chance.

Click this link to find out more.