GET AHEAD BY LEADING FROM YOUR POSITION

In a career in training and education that is (alarmingly) approaching the twenty-year mark, one of the most-repeated questions I’ve gotten from employees, trainees, and students is: “How do I get ahead?” Common sense says to work hard, train frequently, learn more, etc. But, honestly, there’s no better way to advance in your career than by leading from your position.

Leading from your position means that no matter what your title is, you make significant individual and team contributions to your organization. While your normal duties may involve doing both, the difference is in the way that you make your contributions. Employees that lead from their positions are the ones that influence others, communicate clearly, and affect positive changes.

Let’s start with influencing other employees. The Center for Creative Leadership writes that influence is connecting with people and building relationships to accomplish shared goals. Your personal qualities are key in this regard, so always express a positive attitude and focus on being generous with others. Additionally, build influence by being the first to act when action is needed. Volunteer for work outside of your job description; use your experience and skills to assist co-workers; and always provide an example others want to emulate.

Another useful way to lead from your position is to communicate effectively. Conveying thoughts and ideas so that people understand them helps you work better and helps them do the same. Skillful communication is especially important in building connections both up and down the hierarchy in any organization, and for ensuring that employees of all levels feel included in the goals that the organization shares. To be a leader, be a communicator; become a bridge between line-level employees, supervisors, and even managers. Finally, leaders in their positions affect positive change. You can change your organization through influence and communication skills, alone. Yet, one thing that tends to get overlooked when it comes to change is expertise. To affect change, get good- very good, at your job. In fact, you must be so good at your job that you can see how your position fits into the big picture. And once you get a view of the big picture, you can systematically begin to find what works, what doesn’t, and therefore better ways to achieve goals.

Leading from your position isn’t easy, especially when what you want is to lead from a bigger, better position. Drive, ambition, dreams … these are all

By: Sean M. McCray

good things that will motivate you toward reaching career goals. But, to paraphrase a hero of mine: looking to the future, to the horizon, means that your focus isn’t always on where you are, what you are doing. To get ahead, make sure that you engage with where you are, what you are doing, right now, and lead from there. MV