When founders and CEOs look to hire and promote managers, they want people who exhibit leadership. But how can you exhibit leadership if you’re stuck in individual contributor roles? No one reports to you, and you’re not even a project manager.
Good news is, leader isn’t a title, it’s a group of characteristics, and you can acquire them, even if you’re not the boss. Here are 10 ideas:
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9. Develop a thick skin. Illegal and immoral discrimination happens. Accept that it does now and just determine not to let terrible people get you down. The business world is not the university, and the HR department are not counselors. If someone treats you poorly, don’t immediately jump to the conclusion that it was based on some immutable characteristic. Instead, evaluate if what they said or did was justified. If it was, change your behavior. If it wasn’t, don’t let it bother you. Now, in an egregious situation, absolutely report it, but let most things roll off your back.
10. Don’t ask for special treatment. All that stuff you learned about being inherently special? False. You’re not. I’m not. No one is. So stop asking for special treatment and exceptions to rules. Now, can you become special by working harder and smarter than everyone else. You’ll get special treatment when you deserve it. That isn’t to say you can’t ask for a raise or a promotion for extra behavior. That’s not special treatment — that’s something you earn by being awesome.
