Leadership: Lessons Learned

I've recently done some training for work, and has reminded me about the powerful tool of reflection and how important it is to do it!

Over my career journey, I've had casual freelance jobs, contract jobs, promotions, redundancies, unsuccessful applications and a lot of managers/ leaders/ bosses over the years! Although they were all very different, they had one thing in common: They all taught me something that I’ve kept with me from job to job. I know it's helped me grow not only professionally but personally. Here's what I can share:

Age Is Just A Number

I once had a manager who was younger than me. I didn’t know it for a long time, and it didn’t matter whatsoever! My manager knew everything about the organisation, and was amazing at his job. He always went above and beyond, he was a great listener, always willing to help and knew how to keep our team calm when things got stressful. Age is just a number! Simply respect them and then learn as much as you can from them.

Networking Is Key

Hello... You are on LinkedIn after all! So need I say more?? We know it’s important to get to know your co-workers, and meet others in the industry. I had a manager once who always promoted random acts of coffee, informational interviews, networking events, both in and out of the office. She told me to find a mentor and make connections as much as possible. Because of her, I learned how important it was to network, and the importance of diversity within your networks! I’ve continued to schedule coffee dates and meet new people, and it’s helped me learn more about myself and my career path.

Farewell Comfort Zone

Every now and then, its important to get out of your comfort zone. It could mean anything that tests you, gets you out of routine or simply agree to something you wouldn't necessarily do! Whether it's in another culturally diverse country or complete career change. My manager had a lot of great experience and I was looking forward to learning a lot from him. However, so much of what I was doing was stuff I had never done before. I was so nervous. He reminded me constantly that it was okay, that it was important to continue trying my best and I appreciated his support while I worked there to learn, grow and develop.

Don’t Limit Yourself

When you start out in your career, it’s easy to get super excited, show tonnes of initiative to get involved in everything and motivated to succeed. But some people might want you to slow down and focus on the job that’s right in front of you. Whilst it's important to keep your head down and work hard, it’s also important to dream big and think ahead. Don’t let a manager put you in a box. Keep that motivation and stay inspired to succeed. Do the job you have really well, and then aspire to do more. Otherwise, you’ll end up limiting yourself to what you’re currently doing and may stray from reaching all of your career goals.

Don’t Be Afraid To Manage Up

When you work underneath someone, they usually will manage you, and help you learn and grow. However, it’s also important to manage up. I had a manager once who was put into a managerial role after not having much experience. We worked very closely together, tag-teaming much of the job at hand, and sometimes I needed to remind him about things. He was open to feedback about how best to communicate with me to my reminders about deadlines when his plate was full. Don’t be afraid to give your manager feedback. A good manager will take it and apply it, and appreciate your help in making them a better manager.

Readiness

I’ve always been a to-do list and calendar entry type of person, but I had a manager once who taught me how important it was to be prepared for every part of my job. From meetings to reports and everything in between, I learned what it meant to be over prepared and how it could really help you stand out among the crowd.

Knowing Yourself

The best life lesson I learned from a manager was how important it is to truly focus on self-care. Work is important, but you can’t be your best self at work if you’re not taking time to rest, relax and rejuvenate. Whether it’s a day off to go to the doctor when you have a cold, or a few days spent at home when there’s a loss in your family, my manager stressed the importance of self-care over work. A manager who wholly supports you both in and out of the office is a rare find. If you ever get a chance to work under a manager like that, hold onto them and learn as much as you can. They’ll teach you more than just a few skills to put on your resume. You’ll learn how to be a better person, and a great future leader yourself.

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