So, You Want to Be a Leader? by Marc LeVine

Leadership is always a journey. It is never a birthright. Get it out of your head that there is such a thing as a "born leader." There is not. Having a father, who is a successful CEO does not ensure that you will be a sucessful one, too - or one at all, for that matter. It is up to you to prepare yourself for whatever role you choose and successfully compete with others to earn it.

Our lives are shaped by a series of events. How we respond to them determines our level of success. We live. We learn. We grow. We (hopefully will) succeed. But we (may or may not) lead. That is not a given, and more work must be done.

What does the journey towards leadership look like? What are the mile markers along the way? There are five stages to climb to attain the highest levels of leadership. Before emergence is possible, we must, first, become a (1) Highly Capable Individual. To become one, we must begin to make productive contributions through our talents, knowledge, skills, and excellent work habits. We can do all this, stop here and still be successful. Leadership requires further development.

The step the follows is to become a (2) Contributing Team Member, by contributing individual capabilities to group achievement objectives and working effectively with others.

From here, the ladder leads up to (3) Competent Manager; one who organizes people and resources toward the effective and efficient pursuit of predetermined objectives.

As we climb higher, we aim towards reaching the level of (4) Effective Leader. This individual catalyzes commitment to and engages in vigorous pursuit of a clear and compelling vision, stimulating higher performance.

Finally, at the top is (5) Executive level. The Executive builds enduring greatness through a paradoxical blend of personal humility and professional will.

The path to leadership is a long and steep journey that not everyone is able or willing to take. But, for those committed to making themselves better through learning and development the prize is not out of reach.

Listen to Marc's latest interview on The AutomationBlog Podcast with Shawn Tierney.

Marc LeVine is a graduate of Syracuse (NY) University with a degree in Industrial Psychology, Marc is currently Talent Acquisitions and Learning and Development Lead at Thermo Systems. He is the recipient of the Excellence in Talent Acquisitions Award from HR Awards in 2021. His prior employment includes senior Human Resources and staffing industry management roles with Edgewood Properties in Piscataway, NJ, Brickforce Staffing in Edison, NJ, InfoPro Inc. in Woodbridge NJ and Plainsboro, NJ and Harvard Industries in Farmingdale, NJ, a former Fortune 500 company. He also served as Director of Human Resources for New Jersey Press, the parent company of the Asbury Park Press, Home News and Tribune and WKXW-NJ101.5. Earlier in his career, Marc served as Director of Career Services and Placement at Union Technical Institute in Eatontown and Neptune, NJ. In addition, Marc owned and operated Integrity Consulting Associates, a Human Resources consulting firm in Freehold, NJ for 11 years.