This is post 4 of 5 in a series that reveals my top tips to help you prepare yourself for a promotion before the opening is even announced.
So far, you’ve discovered how Embodying Leadership, Owning Your Actions, and Seeking Opportunities can prepare you for a promotion. If you missed these previous posts, just click the links. We’ll wait here for you to return.
Before we dive in, let’s check in on the intention you set back at the beginning of this series. Is it still aligned with your goals? Or do you need to revisit it to make it more attuned to your vision as you move toward positioning yourself for promotion?
Today’s post is about making service a basic tenet of leadership.
When you think about leaders you admire and respect, does the word “service” come to mind? Do they encourage rather than coerce? Coach rather than criticize? Inspire rather than dishearten?
These qualities are hallmarks of service-based leadership.
Action Step 4 – Be of Service
If getting a promotion in your organization is on your radar, then I strongly encourage you to incorporate service into your repertoire of job skills.
Being a servant leader means when you make decisions and take action, you first take into account other people’s needs and the organization’s goals. This is often called leading from behind.
What does it mean to be a Servant Leader?
- It means occasionally taking one for the team, i.e., working late on a big project for a new client; listening to a colleague as she works out her talking points; and offering constructive feedback that will develop the skills of the office intern.
- It means checking your ego at the door, and working in the trenches with your team — especially when stress levels are high and morale is low.
- It means respecting the opinions, experience, and wisdom that a diverse workgroup brings to the table.
- It means thinking “we” not “me,” especially when it’s time to give credit for wins.
- It means setting the example and not asking anyone to do work you wouldn’t (or haven’t) done yourself.
A servant leader understands that a title means nothing if the people who work under them don’t feel heard, understood, and valued. A leader who fails to serve her team is a leader who inspires little loyalty and allegiance.
Practicing service-based leadership before you get the promotion is the surest way to strengthen that muscle, which prepares for the heavy lifting that will come later when it’s your time to lead the team.
If you missed last week’s post on how to Seek Opportunities, you can read about it here.
Be sure to catch the final post in this series to learn why becoming a problem solver is a great way to get noticed when you are looking to position yourself for a promotion.
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Do you feel inspired to practice service-based leadership? Are you already leading from this place? Share with our community below what you’ll begin implementing or what’s already working for you.
