Here's how you can showcase your leadership skills for a promotion.

In my coaching experience as well as in mentoring I find the PIE Performance, Image, Exposure framework to illustrate how, surprisingly to most people, particularly top STEM talents, performance is not everything but quite the opposite. To be eligible for promotions, performance are table stakes, a chip to get in, of course anyone has them. Image and Exposure, not so much. Particularly for image, I strongly recommend to use a genuine curiosity towards the decision making process and challenges of the position we aspire to. In a way, my metaphor is that the upper layer shall clearly perceive yourself as one of their own during any touch point conversation.

To demonstrate leadership for a promotion, follow these steps: a) Build Relationships: Make an effort to maintain strong, trust-based relationships with your seniors. Take more action and deliver results on important goals. b) Be Uncomfortable with the Status Quo: Take on projects that go beyond your usual job description, embrace new responsibilities, and be open to receiving feedback. c) Be Willing to Serve: True leadership involves serving others. Show willingness to understand the underlying issues affecting your task and work towards solving them. d) Don't Complain: Instead of complaining when you can't complete a task or meet expectations, discuss the problem with your superior and ask for a new deadline.

Leadership in uncomplicated words is influencing oneself and others overcome their challenges and keep moving in forward direction. If you have to showcase your leadership skills for a promotion then start from here: Identify your core values Identify your personality type Identify your motivations and inspirations Identify how and where you can add value Check how valueable is your social currency? ( do people recognise you, like you, come to you with their problems? etc) Find the gaps between your current position and the role you are aspiring for

Take Initiative: Volunteer for challenging projects that demonstrate your problem-solving and decision-making abilities. Lead by Example: Display a strong work ethic, professionalism, and commitment to company values. Mentor Others: Guide and support colleagues, showcasing your ability to develop and inspire others. Communicate Effectively: Exhibit strong communication skills in meetings, presentations, and written correspondence. Highlight Achievements: Quantify and share your accomplishments, emphasizing the impact on team performance and company goals. Seek Feedback: Act on constructive feedback to improve your skills and demonstrate your willingness to grow. Network Strategically: Build relationships with key decision-makers.

Take Initiative: Proactively identify and solve problems, and volunteer for challenging projects. Communicate Effectively: Demonstrate clear, concise, and persuasive communication. Mentor Others: Offer guidance and support to colleagues, showcasing your ability to develop talent. Deliver Results: Consistently meet or exceed targets and deadlines. Show Strategic Thinking: Present innovative ideas and long-term strategies. Seek Feedback: Actively seek and act on feedback to improve your performance. Be a Team Player: Foster collaboration and maintain a positive team environment.

Communication is key. You need to be able to voice your opinions and let you others know that you are ready to level up the promotion ladder. Demonstrate leadership skills within the team and lead from the front.

Here are three ideas: Encourage Open Communication: Create an environment where team members feel comfortable expressing ideas and concerns, and actively listen to their input. Promote a Collaborative Culture: Emphasize the importance of working together towards common goals and facilitate cross-functional collaboration. Lead by Example: Demonstrate your willingness to collaborate, support, and mentor team members, inspiring them to work together and fostering a strong sense of teamwork. Fostering teamwork requires consistent effort and dedication. By implementing these strategies, you can showcase your leadership skills and create a collaborative work environment that will increase your chances of being considered for a promotion.

Proactively identify opportunities and challenges within your organization. Volunteer for projects and tasks that go beyond your current role. Demonstrate your problem-solving abilities by proposing innovative solutions and improvements. Lead by example, showing dedication, reliability, and a strong work ethic. Encourage and support your colleagues, fostering a collaborative team environment. Seek out leadership training and development opportunities to continually enhance your skills. Communicate your achievements and contributions clearly to your superiors. By consistently taking initiative, you exhibit the leadership qualities essential for promotion.

Here's the key: anyone in the organization can demonstrate leadership. Leadership is an act, not a position. You can demonstrate various aspects of great leadership without a title, a formal organizational position, budget and even a line team. Propose improvements in the way of working, suggest new products or services, innovate ideas to optimize the company's operational performance etc. In other words, present ideas how to make things even better, invite others to refine those visions, influence people to assemble teams and get resources to actually implement those ideas. One of the best tests for leadership is to lead change in customer's organization where you are an external consultant with no formal power.

While many people in formal leadership positions got promoted partly because of their excellent problem-solving skills, it doesn't necessarily mean that you should be actually doing it. The higher up you are in the organization the more important it is to think strategically - big picture. Your job as the leader is to define answers to "what..." (vision, strategy, goals, objectives, OKRs etc) and "why..." and then identify what challenges the organization has or might have that slow down the progress towards desired goals. Then you can leverage the creative force of the organization to run initiatives, solve key problems and implement needed solutions by smart delegation and portfolio management. You coach others to get it done.

To showcase your leadership skills for a promotion, consider these three mentoring strategies: Set Clear Goals: Establish clear objectives and expectations for your mentees, regularly checking their progress and providing constructive feedback. Foster Growth: Actively support the growth and development of your mentees by offering guidance, resources, and opportunities for them to expand their skills. Lead by Example: Demonstrate leadership qualities through your own actions, modeling integrity, effective communication, and professionalism. Show empathy and respect towards others.

In addition to the strategies mentioned, it's crucial to develop a growth mindset. Embrace challenges as opportunities for learning and improvement, and encourage your team to do the same. This not only enhances your leadership capabilities but also fosters a culture of continuous development within your organization. Additionally, leveraging data-driven decision-making can set you apart, showcasing your ability to blend intuition with analytical insights to drive success.

Lots of people rely on waiting for promotion to happen. If you don't ask for it, it never will. As a future leader, you must be prepared to ask tough questions - here's one where you can test your self leadership skills.

Don't wait for the promotion. If you aren't already, start demonstrating various aspects of great leadership today. When you then later do get promoted, it's merely a way to give you more formal positional power to maximize the impact of your already proven leadership abilities.