How to Progress Your Career into a Leadership Role

Not every career needs to land you in a leadership position. Some just aren’t suited to leadership and would like nothing less than to be in charge. For those that are natural-born leaders, who feel purpose in not just commanding others underneath them, but in changing the way their business works, however, there is no better calling. You can do so much when you have the desire to make a change, but you don’t need to be naturally charismatic to do so. You can be a leader with nothing more than the wish and hard work. 

It isn’t as easy as it will be for those who just naturally seem to fit into the role, but know that the only thing you need is to follow this guide to really help you see your goals through: 

Consider a Leadership Degree 

If you have so far specialized yourself, then a leadership degree can be just the ticket to expand your skillset and knowledge from what you do to managing a team instead. Take nursing as an example. As a highly qualified nurse, you work directly with patients and their care, but as a leader, you need to learn how to manage others, finances, and so much more. You will not be in charge of patients directly, after all, but instead in charge of all other nurses and the department as a whole. 

This is another job entirely to what you would have done as a nurse, which is why it is appropriate to go and earn an executive leadership degree. In nursing, this will be with a DNP executive leadership program, though for more general types of degrees, there are MBAs and other industry-specific leadership degrees to help experts take up the mantel of an executive.  

Ask and Take on More Responsibility 

What you can do in terms of taking on more responsibility will depend on your job role. In industries like healthcare, there is a limit to what extra responsibility you can take on, as each role has very specific requirements and specifications that need to be met. More general, careers that don’t have this rigid structure don’t have that barrier. You can often ask for more leadership positions and work to prove yourself just by taking advantage of opportunities. 

In careers like nursing, you will want to discuss your options with your managing nurse and to learn from senior nurses. You don’t need to wait until you are an APRN, either. There are many soft skills that a leader needs, and there is no reason to not start working on them right now. 

Work on Developing Your Soft Skills 

Soft skills are very important not only because they will help you get the job in question, but rather because they will help you succeed once you do. Many soft skills sound obvious, and like you won’t even need to practice, but there is a difference between being good at communicating with friends and communicating at an executive level. By working on improving these soft skills, you can make a huge difference in your leadership capabilities and career: 

• Communication 

Communication is a very important skill to have and depending on your role, you may be practicing it daily or seemingly losing it every hour that passes. Those that work directly with people, like nurses, need to perfect their listening and communication skills both to their co-workers and to patients alike, giving them ample opportunity to practice and learn how to adjust to different personalities and even temperaments. Those that work at home or in an office job with minimal interaction with their co-workers will want to make opportunities for themselves where you can practice their communication and team working skills. 

• Organization 

Staying organized is a skill, but it doesn’t actually take effort to learn. It just takes practice to be consistent. Find the right tools and system that will help you stay organized at work and at home, but to stay organized, you are going to need to make it a routine. It takes time to incorporate organization skills, but keep trying, and you won’t have a problem. 

• Conflict Negotiation and Problem Solving 

Conflict negotiation and problem-solving are two of the most important skills a leader can have, and good news, you don’t need to do it alone. You are not omniscient, which means that no one expects you to always have the right answer to every problem. What you do need to work on is keeping a level head when a problem or conflict arises and then working with others to develop the best solution. 

• Empathy 

Certain jobs demand empathy. Being a nurse and not being able to empathize means that you cannot connect with your patients. That being said, there is a limit. You cannot let every patient get to you; you cannot break down if a patient dies. In nursing, empathy skills are tested and developed from day one. Outside of careers like nursing, you are going to need to remind yourself every time you come across friction with another person to assume that there is something going on that you do not understand and to approach from that standpoint before you resort to anger. 

To help use your soft skills to secure you a job, you’ll need to use references. These references are where your soft skills and natural leadership abilities will really come to focus, and thankfully you can use many of the people who work with you right now to help boost your application both to recruiters and online. 

Go Online with Your Expertise 

Finally, don’t be afraid to go online with your expertise. There are so many ways that you can show your leadership qualities by becoming a thought leader and expert in your field. This applies to every single career type, as well. A nurse can benefit from writing content on news sites and on nursing publications, just as a business person can benefit from getting their content published online. 

It gets your name out there, it gets your expertise and ideas out there, and it can make opportunities happen. It also expands your options. You don’t need to be a leader of a nursing division or the union, for example, to be a leader. You can instead work to change the discourse and campaign to improve standards around the world with your words and your passion. 

Being a leader will mean something unique to you, so work hard to become the leader that you believe the world needs.