Stepping Into Leadership

Stepping into leadership can be intimidating. You’ve done good work to earn your position yet somehow it feels like you don’t belong or don’t deserve it.

What do you say?
How do you act?
What do leaders do?

Well, that’s complex, but try starting here:

1. Accept that someone put you in a leadership position because they believe in you, and you’ve earned this opportunity. You’re not perfect and neither are the people who are vouching for you (they’re also learning as they go.)

2. Act how you’d want someone leading you to act. Be the leader you’ve always wanted to have. They’re probably not overly aggressive but they’re confident despite their imperfection. They motivate you and push you to be better without belittling you. They listen more than they talk but when they need to speak up, they’re not afraid to do so. You can be that person.

The above are mindset shifts. You'll have to do the work to close the skills gap through practice, but despite what you don't know, you can still set off on your journey with intention.

You don’t have to become a new person because you got promoted. You do have an added layer of responsibility and influence, and weaving who you aspire to be with who you already are is a great way to push forward without losing yourself in the process.