One of the most common questions that I get is, "How can I advance my career?" I'm going to try to answer that in a series of short posts to share what I have learned and observed after nearly 20 years in the software industry.
Part 3: Lead Something
In Part 1, I gave a framework for showing how taking on a project can demonstrate that you're ready for the next rung in your career ladder. In part 2, I showed how to be seen as a thought leader. In this installment, I give you a number of concrete examples of how to get experience leading others in order to advance your career.
1/ Talk to your manager/immediate supervisor.
I should probably stop the article here, but the first step really needs to be to let your first line leader know that you would like to get leadership experience. Chances are that he/she have goals for the year that they aren't going to get to on their own accord. If you simply go to your manager and say, "I want to be a leader," that is too broad of a statement. Share your goal of becoming a leader, and ask if they are aware of programs/initiatives that need a leader with your strengths. Try something like this instead, "I would like to get experience leading and grow my career. Do you have initiatives that I would be able to lead so that we both meet our yearly goals?"
2/ Take control of something.
Most corporations divide people into smaller cross-functional work groups. This could be a tiger team, a task force, a committee, or any number of other groups of like individuals. These groups are often either hand-picked individuals or volunteers, and they lack structure right off the bat. If you find yourself a part of one of these workgroups, take control. Facilitate the next meeting, organize the collateral you're producing, just do something to make a positive impact on others around you. This will set you up for future opportunities to lead.
3/ Be an early adopter.
What were the themes of the latest all-hands call or quarterly announcement? Where is your Sr. leadership taking the company, and how can you participate? Are there things that affect everyone in the company, or your department specifically? For example, at SAP, we have an initiative to think and run simple. When this goal first came out, I hosted a coffee corner in the office in which I invited people to come and share what they are all doing to run simple. It really was a simple event to pull together, and it demonstrated that I was capable of leading others and facilitating discussion. Support a larger initiative to show that you're committed to the company's overall success, not just your own.
4/ Look outside the workplace.
A great, non-threatening way to gain experience is leading teams outside of work. This could be a formal position like being a Girl Scout leader or a church deacon, or perhaps this is a more informal role like organizing a subdivision garage sale. It might seem counterintuitive to advance your career outside of work, but it can be a great way to lead without having the political ramifications in the workplace of messing something up. I am convinced that being an engaged leader outside of the workplace makes you better in the long term because it gives you a much more diverse perspective.
5/ Be someone's coach.
Without going on too much of a rant, I think that the word mentor is really overused, to the point that I don't even ask it anymore in an interview. Let's use the term coach because I think it's a better illustration. If you've ever played sports, you've had a coach. The coach observed your performance, gave specific feedback, and then held you accountable for making changes. In the business world, people need the same coaching relationship, and often times that doesn't come from his/her mentor. Seek someone who needs your help in reaching their goals and make the ask.
In this installment, I have given you examples of what you can do to get experience leading. The goal of gaining informal leadership experience is to confidently answer the question, "What have you done to prepare yourself to lead?"
Now it's your turn. Use the comment section below to share how you have gained leadership experience.
Until next time. Geoff