Ask Pam: How Do I Prepare for Leadership Opportunities?

This bi-weekly LinkedIn Newsletter will address common and not-so-common questions leaders and executives, like you, have about the culture of the C-suite.

I've been serving in executive roles, reporting to Boards, CEOs, and Executive Directors since my early 20's. I've seen and experienced quite a bit, but mostly, I've learned a lot. These experiences are what led me to executive coaching.

If you're serving in the C-Suite or are headed in that direction, I'd like to hear from you. It's not often you can find a trusted advisor to answer your most pressing questions - for free. So here I am, let's talk!

This Week's Question:

Dear Pam,?

I am a leader who was recently told I did not get a promotional opportunity because I wasn't ready and didn't have what it takes to help the organization evolve to meet the ever-changing demands of the organization. It feels as if they are shooting for someone that doesn't exist. Am I wrong to feel this way? How am I supposed to prove that I am able to adapt if not given the chance?

Overlooked

This Week's Response:

Dear Overlooked:

Your approach to leadership is defined by how you were?conditioned to believe leaders are expected to perform. Perhaps in your conditioning process, you came to believe leaders emerge from on-the-job growth opportunities. This is still the case in some ways. However, leaders often stagnate because the outside business conditions change more rapidly than they do within an organization. When senior leaders realize this, they determine it is "better" to hire someone from the outside with proven skills than someone internally who understands the culture but needs time to develop.

Leaders who are?conditioned to lead?regardless of their current situation understand that effective leadership requires continuous preparation and self-improvement. This concept emphasizes the importance of leaders actively conditioning themselves to deliver the highest leadership quality for current and future challenges. It also involves a critical process of?deconditioning—letting go of outdated or unproductive attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs about leadership that they've "caught" from societal norms or "bought" from traditional leadership models that no longer serve their teams or organizations.

Being conditioned to lead means you've committed to lifelong learning and adaptability. It means you refine your skills, embrace humility, and remain open to feedback, all while aligning your leadership style with your core values. It's about evolving in a way that resonates with the realities of today's workplace, fostering innovation, empathy, and resilience in the face of complexity.

To answer your question, you can be conditioned to lead provided you engage in a process of self-reflection, skills development, flexibility and decondition practices to shift your mindset and ready yourself for whatever is next for your brand, your profession and your organization.?

What do others have to say?

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