Here's how you can showcase your leadership potential and initiative to your boss in a Food Science career.

having been in this food science path for 30+ years one learning I have learnt ,was this subject has an every day learning & continuous improvement. At no point as a food safety professional we were able to justify 100% ,because we still had opportunity for improvement.

Take on challenging projects: Volunteer for projects that require leadership and initiative. Demonstrate problem-solving skills , Lead by example: Be proactive in your approach to work and demonstrate a strong work ethic. Communicate effectively , Take initiative to expand your skills and knowledge through training, workshops. Embrace innovation: Stay up-to-date with the latest trends, technologies, and advancements in the food science industry. Seek feedback and act on it: Solicit feedback from your boss and colleagues on your performance and leadership potential

Make sure to take initiative and development: 1. It's not only about your job. Learn new concepts and try to implement them. 2. Use those implementation results and try to utilise them in industry (along with highlighting the advantages of the initiative). 3. Identify areas of improvement like optimization of heat conditions during food production, better quality determination. 4. Through these points you will be able to showcase your leadership skills as well as your dedication towards improving the food quality and the company.

Show some examples on how your trainings and or experiences within the industry will and or had helped. 1. SQF cert 2. PCQI 3. Internal Audit training

Take every training that you can find on this. Being able to code switch and effectively communicate cross functionally is a key soft skill to any industry job. If your organization has a paradigm adopt it. If it doesn't explore online, books or coaching for it. Best simple advice I ever got was "ask people more questions about themselves".

Communication is a key skill for this. Having a good network within and outside of your organization is one of the best problem solving tools around. Two easy ways to start eat lunch with people, ask for help and give it readily. Remember that it takes time but like a 401k, small investments now pay off over the long haul.

We all want to be Scotty from Star Trek. I am always looking for the solution to a problem I don't have yet. Working miracles involves prework. There are a vast number of solutions to problems being marketed and sold by your suppliers and in trade journals. Take time to understand what those are. If you wait until it comes up it is often too late.

Leadership is about people. Caring about people, helping people, guiding people, developing people. Soft skills are not any harder to learn than science. They do require different training. Seek it out.

Take Ownership of Projects: - Volunteer to lead projects or take on additional responsibilities that align with your expertise. - Show your boss that you are proactive and capable of managing tasks independently while delivering high-quality results.