Leadership is one of the most highly valued skills in businesses, and leaders are necessary to help take companies to the next level. However, determining who has the potential to be a great leader can be difficult, and many potential leaders never have the opportunity to shine.
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Here are a few ways to make yourself stand out:
Take on extra responsibilities
Leadership is about more than motivating employees and setting a good example, leaders often have to deal with work others would prefer to ignore. By volunteering to help whenever possible, you can demonstrate your willingness to go the extra mile to get things done.
Doing so also helps you demonstrate your abilities to your employers, which can help make the difference between being chosen for a promotion, and being passed over.
Specific expertise
Most effective leaders are also knowledgeable, and one way to stand out is to demonstrate expertise in a specific area. By working toward an online law degree, for example, you can have an impact by becoming your office’s law expert.
Law is relevant in a wide number of fields, and your expertise will help make you stand out. It will also give you an opportunity to enter leadership roles for parts of certain projects.
Rhetoric and writing matter
While leadership is not about speeches and writing, these two fields can help you tremendously. Some of the world’s best speakers admit to practicing regularly, so consider using your drives to and from work as an opportunity to practice. Studying effective speeches can help as well.
Writing is easy to practice, and after ensuring that your grammar is impeccable, read great material and start a blog or find another venue to write regularly.
Leadership outside of work
There are a number of opportunities to demonstrate leadership outside of the office. By starting a volunteer organization or other entity, you can demonstrate your ability to attract people around a particular goal, run meetings, and accomplish other tasks. Thanks to the Internet, finding people interested in volunteering has never been easier.
Leadership skills may take time to develop, and some people aren’t able to enter leadership roles. However, those who are motivated can often find ways to improve their odds of landing a leadership role and proving their value to their employers. However, leadership requires being proactive, and those who are able to put together an impressive leadership resume are likely to succeed.
About the Author:
Brooke Chaplan is a freelance writer and blogger. After graduating from the University of New Mexico, she moved to Los Lunas where she now spends time researching, writing, and exercising. In her research of this article, she found that leaders are often skilled in specific areas. Click here for additional information on developing an area of expertise.
CMO Contributor
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