Why You Should Not Shy Away From A Leadership Position
By Perminus Wainaina
I was one time coaching a client who seemed to be unsure of whether she was good enough to lead. In her current job.
In one of our meetings, she disclosed this to me…
“Perminus, I don’t think I was born to lead. I think I make a better follower.
Yes, I’m a hard worker and I always set my mind to achieve results. I always have my goals set and I will not leave the office until my objectives for that day have been met.
I have worked in the same organization for the last 7 years as the Administrative Officer and Executive Assistant. However, every time my boss has called upon me to take charge of a project, I shy away and mostly because I’m afraid of failing and taking blame as the team leader.
Even when I apply for other jobs, I ensure that they are not managerial positions because I don’t think I’m cut out for leadership.
I have seen my colleagues who are less experienced surpass me career wise because they took advantage of every opportunity to lead.
I have let many opportunities to grow as a leader professionally and I’m afraid if I keep this up I will not advance in my career.
I would like to just at the chance to lead but I don’t feel cut out for it.
What should I do?”
My client’s confession resonated with a lot of emails and concerns I get on a daily basis from professionals asking me how they can grow in their career through maximizing on their leadership potential.
Just like my client above, are you facing the same challenges when it comes to being proactive in leadership?
What stops you from leading your team? From saying yes when you are called upon to drive the bus?
I’ll tell you why;
- You assume leadership is for a chosen few; those who are “born” with it
- You are afraid and scared of failure
- You think you need to be a certain age and have years of experience in order to become a leader
- You compare yourself to other accomplished leaders and conclude you are not good enough
- You constantly second guess your leadership potential
I’m sure some of these reasons resonate with you just as they did with my client.
And just like her, I can tell you that your colleagues will continue to surpass you the more you let leadership opportunities slip through your fingers.
Out of all the reasons I have learnt over the years as to why professionals shy away from leadership roles, I have found is the fear of failure.
But did you know that everyone who has ever led successfully has had immense failure?
At the end of the day what counts is not the failure, but what you were able to learn from it.
By so doing, these are 5 of the greatest benefits you will gain from taking leadership initiatives:
- You will grow your personal brand. You will stand out as an expert, strategic partner and decision maker. Eventually, your good reputation will grow.
- You will become more confident when communicating and presenting your ideas to senior management. You will earn your place in the table of key company players.
- You will have more people looking up to you. This means you will have an opportunity to grow and mentor leaders yourself.
- You will have more opportunities and avenues to further grow your career by entering into managerial positions.
- You will grow your technical and soft skills especially in areas such as leadership and communication skills.
So the next time you are called upon to lead, don’t let your fear of failing discourage you.
As I have indicated above, leadership has many opportunities and one of them is its potential to immensely grow and advance your career.
But such opportunities only come to those who go after them!
So be bold enough and make a decision to lead.
Perminus Wainaina is the C.E.O and Managing Partner at Corporate Staffing Services, a leading HR consultancy firm based in Westlands. He has wide experience in coaching, leadership development, recruitment, and HR consultancy. Click here for more on career coaching.