So friends, let’s say you have been doing a technical role, maybe as an individual contributor, and have been thinking about stepping up. And you actually like people. (This VITAL point will be addressed in Part 2 of this post).
And then a leadership opportunity comes up – and you want to prepare for it.
But how do you prepare? Do you know what you need to do?
The best time to prepare for your next opportunity is 6 months earlier.
Why? Because when you get invited for an interview for a leadership role, your interviewers will ask you fewer questions that test your technical ability – and more questions on how you manage people.
So here is how to prepare for that eventual interview. The moment you decide you want to step up into a leadership role:
- Start mentoring one or two people. Pass on your knowledge to others. And then raise your visibility by making sure your leaders are aware of this. Post a Workplace post – or a LinkedIn post.
- Ask for coffee connects with your senior leaders and ask them specific questions about managing people. Make your intentions about your aspirations known today.
- Read books and articles on how to manage people – and share the insights from these with people who will be your peers when you become a leader.
In other words, start behaving like a leader today.
Now, here is the crucial insight that will give you a leg up on your competition. Look around you and see whether there is a need for a community. Maybe your organisation needs a community of practice (CoP) for DevSecOps or Emerging Leaders or for Cybersecurity or for AI or for Data Governance.
Go and start this community.
And if you want to know how to create communities, ping me. This is one of my superpowers.
#leadership #roletransition #careergrowth
