MEMBER BLOGS
most recent posts:
|
LEADERSHIP
Wanna be a Leader? Find Your ‘It’ Factor |
| Written by Mary Welch |
| December 21, 2009 |
|
Page 3 of 3  Ah, skill sets. There are some definite skills sets that help you become a leader.
Randy Siegel, CEO of BuildYourLeaders.com, an Ashville, N.C., leadership development company, is quick to point out how important a first impression is. “It’s like a blind date. You peek out the window and make your judgment before the person even comes to the door. It’s the same with leaders. A person’s appearance makes you want to listen to them and follow.” Siegel says there are three very important pieces to becoming a leader. “You have to have likeability, credibility, and follow- through. People want to relate to you, understand that you know your stuff, and know that you will follow through on your word.” Oftentimes young women are more interested in being liked than respected, Siegel says. “Dial up the authority, and don’t worry about being liked. It’s a delicate balance. Studies show that the higher the likeability factor, the lower the authority factor. But, it is not true in reverse. And, fake it until you make it.” Clark would agree about the “nice” factor. “I’ve seen evaluations where everyone wrote how nice she was. Nice doesn’t get you promoted. Being articulate, being a good planner, being a good tactical thinker gets your promoted. I tell people if they are serious about their careers to look at their evaluations and see if that’s really how they want to be regarded. And, if it’s not, change.” Talk to outsiders because you may not see the patterns in your career or how people get promoted in a particular company. “For instance, one woman wasn’t getting where she wanted to until someone told her that the successful leaders first took a lateral move into operations before they started climbing the ladder,” Clark says. “Until that was pointed out to her, she wasn’t going to go anywhere.” It all goes back to the “plus one,” she says. “The real driver is to see what value you bring to the corporation. It’s really how you brand yourself. What do you want? Do you want to brand yourself as a leader? What are the steps you need to make personally to get it? What are the steps inside your corporation that will help you get there? Women who do that will be surprised how quickly their careers will accelerate.” And, in the meantime, sometimes it’s as easy as asking for it. “Anticipate opportunities, and then ask for them,” Clark advises. “If you see an opportunity and ask for a chance to lead, it shows that you want to be a leader and that you believe in yourself. It may be as simple as saying ‘I’d want a shot.’”  Mary Welch is Atlanta city editor of Womenetics: and a freelance writer for the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Dawson Times, Plan Your Meeting magazine, and Atlanta Business magazine. She was editor-in-chief of Atlanta Woman magazine and editor of Business to Business and Catalyst magazines.
|
More Resources:
- The New American Woman Wears the Purse in the Family
- Shoe CEO Quickly Becomes Sole Owner
- Accounting ‘Angels’ to the Rescue
- Charting the Political Landscape
- Tips for Selling Your Gold
- Uphill Struggle for Afghan Women
- Designing Clothes for Tall Women
- Laura Bush’s Chief of Staff
- How to Deal with Negative Coworkers
- Is Technology Killing your Social Life?
- Rocky Mountain High
- Female Race Car Drivers
From Our Member Blogs:
