How To Grow into Leadership

It’s summer now – and you can probably look outside right now and see nature at its fullest. What was just some buds a few short months ago, are now plants in their complete brilliance.

In our last two blogs we’ve been focused on growth: both for people starting a new career and for those looking to expand on their current role in the workplace. If you’ve been following along, you may be wondering what the final form of this growth looks like.

Those eager to advance their career will no doubt be called upon to be a leader. This is the end result of growth – when a person takes what they’ve learned from their journey and builds on it by empowering those around them.

So how do we grow into leadership? Let’s explore.

Be Humble

It all starts with humility. If you have the experience necessary to start taking the lead at work, it can be difficult to remain modest about all you have accomplished. Yes, it is important to take pride in the road that got you to where you are today, but it’s important to keep yourself grounded. 

Remember, you’re just getting started – and there is so much more you have left to achieve!

Humility won’t just allow your team to relate to you better (and make you an easier person to be around), it will help you remain open to the innovative ideas and perspectives that every single person has to offer (more on that later). 

Staying modest will also help you avoid complacency. There is always room for your own improvement and there is always something new to learn. In living this out, you will be setting an excellent example of constant growth that your team can be inspired by.

Take Accountability

Being a leader means that if a member of your team has a problem, you have one, too. The buck stops with you – and you have to take responsibility for the success or failure of your department. 

This is one of the more difficult lessons to learn as a leader – as there are factors that will be outside of your control. But instead of pointing fingers when something goes pear shaped, taking accountability for what has happened will have a great impact on your ability to lead. When your team sees that you have their back, they will grow more motivated to move forward with better diligence.

This accountability ties into our next tip for growing your leadership skills: start using the word “we.”

Use The Word “We”

We is a powerful word. Imagine someone who has just completed a successful project. Their colleagues have had some input into the process, but it’s them who has put in the heavy lifting.

When presenting the results, they can either say “look what I’ve accomplished,” or “look what we’ve accomplished.” See the difference? If you were sitting in on the presentation, which line would make you more inclined to do further work with and for that person?

Leaders invite everyone into the process and are the first to give credit (even when they are shining a light on small-yet-impactful contributions). If you want to start being viewed as a leader in your workplace and beyond, start paying attention to and being quick to praise.

That starts when you adopt the word “we” into your vocabulary. Individuals speak for themselves, whereas leaders speak for their teams. 

Teach Others

No matter what setting you find them in, leaders are teachers and coaches. They have risen to a high standard in their field – and are now tasked with fostering the same growth in the team around them.

Growth is not a zero-sum game. Be generous with what you know. Someone who rises to the top then pulls the ladder up behind them is no leader. Instead, think of where you started, what you had to learn, and the challenges you used to face, and think of ways that you can create the best environment for your team to thrive.

This environment is created with mentorship, knowledge, and 

The best leader is one who doesn’t hide behind their own glory, but instead knows that the greatest honor is watching their team win. With the right mentorship, someone can even exceed the accomplishments of their teacher. This – for a leader – is something to be proud of and celebrate. 

Keep Growing

There’s a old joke that goes something like this:

Two people go duck hunting. They bring along the second person’s hunting dog.

As the afternoon goes on, the first person says to the second:

“I don’t get it. Your dog used to be the best hunting dog there ever was. You could shoot a duck and he’d have it back to you before you could even blink. Today, he’s just sat around and barked. What happened?”

The second hunter replies:

“I changed his name to manager.”

Just because you’ve become a leader, that doesn’t mean that you don’t have room to still be growing. As you challenge your team to work hard, expand their horizons, and continue learning, you should be sure to be setting an example and putting what you preach into practice.

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We are Cydcor, a recognized leader in outsourced sales and marketing services located in Agoura Hills, California. From our humble beginnings as an independent sales company to garnering a reputation for consistently exceeding client expectations and driving outstanding revenue growth, Cydcor has been helping Fortune 500 and emerging companies achieve their customer acquisition, retention, and business goals since 1994. Cydcor takes pride in the unique combination of in-person sales, call center, and digital marketing services we offer to provide our clients with proven sales and marketing strategies that get results.