What are the most effective ways for Blockchain professionals to position themselves for leadership roles?

Strange question. Get into Leadership roles by becoming leaders. Behave like leaders. Then it helps considerably to have a good narrative as you may easily develop in decentral technologies.

In the blockchain industry, the role of events is crucial. Conferences, forums, meetups and hackathons - all of them are necessary for establishing quality professional connections. I recommend setting up a list of events you'd like to attend and finding opportunities to go there or become a speaker. It will help you to build a network and spread your expertise with enthusiasts.

I feel the most direct way to become a leader in any "new" technology, is to simplify and target the value it can bring to your organization. People like to throw terms around like Blockchain, and AI, but often don't know what practical value it can bring. If you are able to do that for your organization, you help to set the narrative and your path.

The best way to become a blockchain leader and develop real expertise is to build something useful. There are too many consultants, advisors, and experts who never build anything. Learning by doing is a key and real testimony of expertise and leadership.

I strongly agree with the idea that developing expertise in the blockchain field is crucial for aspiring leaders. In an ever-evolving industry like blockchain, staying well-informed about the latest trends and innovations is not only beneficial for one's personal growth but also vital for guiding others and contributing to the field's progress

Networking needs to have a goal. You connect with people for a purpose. If you build a utility-focused product powered by Blockchain, networking will become natural as people are genuinely interested in things that have real applications.

From my experience its also important to share your thoughts in conversations about the space in forums and also being willing to assist and provide solutions to people and also engaging on their post. etc.

Discord is a great place to build your network. Please be careful of scammers in DMs, but being active in community chats is extremely important. Most people are silent on Discord, so it can be easy to let your knowledge shine through if you're the one who's always active and answering questions in different servers. Most of our hiring also started by looking at the people in our Discord community.

Showcasing your skill is one sure way to attract attention. you could share your thoughts on various platforms, offer your skills for free at the stage, and share your achievements; this could be your certificates, the jobs or tasks you completed at work, and your personal research paper. etc.

Documenting your daily work life is a great way to showcase your skills. Whenever you learn or build something - post about it on social media. Over time you will have a feed full of exciting discoveries and case studies.

You can demonstrate your skills and knowledge through contributing to the blockchain community. For example, I'm creating content about blockchain economy and marketing in Web3. Also, I took part in Ethereum Writing Cohort and created articles on the Ethereum-related topics such as Account Abstraction, L2 networks and others. You can create your project or become a part of the team at hackathon. Also, you can create content about blockchain in general or focus on a specific network/concept. It will show your ability to perceive and transform knowledge in digital products with added value for the community and beyond.

Things move lightning quick in this space. It’s unlike any other industry. Just when I thought I was understanding flash loans, people had already moved on to liquid staking. ?? During the pandemic I learned a lot about Web3 through trial and error. I tried creating NFTS, crypto writing, crypto trading, crypto mining, smart contract development, writing white papers, and more. Just do it (Art Williams Voice), you will make mistakes but you will be more informed and able to assist others along the way. Just remember when you want to talk yourself out of learning things about blockchain; It’s not hard, it’s just new. Keep Going ??

Embracing diversity is important in this space. I noticed that during the bull run of 2021 many people rushed into the space; while women, minorities and LGBTQIA that had been in the space for years felt like they were being pushed out by the crypto bro-culture and hype. These new crypto bros were placed on pedestals and many had no foundational knowledge of web3 or blockchain and we found out that the emperor had no clothes in most cases. I believe it's important to embrace diversity and dissenting voices so we don't have a repeat of what led to crypto winter. The thing I love the most about web3 is the people who have the knowledge and the skills you need will not look like the way you think they should.

Diversity is about embracing different ways of thinking, experiences, personalities, and skill sets to achieve a common cause. So first is an alignment on the vision that is usually top-down. You don't want to have different opinions. As Jack Welch said, you must let the right people onto the bus. The bus is the vision. The route is the design. The diversity is the seats they take on the bus. Each seat has a different point of view on the same road and contributes to the end effect of the journey.

Vision is great and might be inspiring, but it is not worth that much without execution. Power points and talk are cheap. The key to leadership in Blockchain is to prove that the vision is executed and tangibly transforms a specific area.

Personal brand and leadership are impossible without revealing yourself as an individual. Tell your audience what will show you as a professional and versatile person: cases and stories from personal experience, travel, books, films, recommendations, news, etc. Also, to define your vision, you can choose an imaginary or real enemy against whom you are fighting. Answer the question "Who or what are you up against?". For example, Shapeshift founder Erik Voorhees publicly opposes centralized organizations such as banks and regulators because they limit financial freedom and choice for the many, giving power to the few.

Vision+Design+Execution=Leadership This is a simple yet very often forgotten formula. Find a niche and build something that people will use and you can become a leader.

The major thing not mentioned here about leadership is bringing yourself to the discussion. Being a leader is about leading other people, and people are typically uncomfortable being led by a machine. You need to show your humanity to people. To position self for a leadership role: 1. The first thing anyone needs is self-awareness. You should know who you are, what you stand for, what you don't stand for, etc. 2. Secondly others need to see who you are. Conveying your thoughts and opinions with conviction and data. 3. Thirdly giving people reasons to follow you. Provide value without expecting anything in return. 4. And finally being open to conversations and feedback. If someone disagrees with you, understand their perspective.

Personal branding is essential for success in any field, and it's no different in the world of Web3. More and more people enter the decentralized world of blockchain and cryptocurrency. The competition is too high! Tech-savvy people in blockchain must build their personal brands to promote the projects or to become more desired employees. Building a solid personal brand can help you stand out from the crowd and achieve your goals. Networking in Web3 is crucial. It’s still a narrow circle of enthusiasts, and everybody knows everyone, in blockchain ecosystems like Ethereum or Solana. Don't be boring, don't pretend to be someone, give yourself the right to make mistakes. Personal brand is another job you must do consistently.

Speaking with the C-suite is a bit different. Two approaches can be practical here. First is the ROI and second is the risk-based approach. For the first one, you'd need to provide insights into how much the executives will invest in you/your team and what outcome they're getting. The second one is to project what risks they're running into and how you/your team skills are going to mitigate that.