People associate leadership with titles like a Supervisor, Manager, Director, or CEO. These are considered more formal leadership roles, and each comes with a set of expectations and a set of responsibilities. Leadership comes in all shapes and forms and does not always have to be a formal role. There are also countless opportunities for people to build leadership skills and to take acts of leadership, anyone can be a leader.
Take a few minutes to read the advice of Pearl’s own leaders. Even though they are each in a formal role here at Pearl, each have worked to build their leadership skills and acted as leaders in other ways before getting to the position they are in today.
Vic Eschler – Program Manager HRSA PSSC
One of the best ways to be a leader is by becoming a peer leader. A best practice for leading your peers is asking them if they would like your help or suggestions. This ensures your coaching will be well-received and welcome which will help it to “stick” better with your peer(s). This also gets you in the habit of asking questions, a key skill in effective leadership, and even if they say no, it conveys that you care about your peer and their performance, a key part of being a leader!
Tony Listermann – Program Manager, Site Leader CCO, Winchester, KY
I will share a story that happened to me when I got my first professional job 17 years ago. I was working at Eastern Kentucky University (EKU), for Professor Glenn Rainey. He was the second most tenured professor at EKU and had been teaching there for 20+ years. He was also a curmudgeon.
My very first day he is giving me a tour of our building and showing me my office, and someone stopped him, and I heard the two whispering for about 2 minutes and then they parted ways. Glenn and I started back down a long hallway and I could tell he was visibly upset by the exchange he just had. Out of nowhere the guy turns around and barks to me “Never walk by a problem!” I suppose that stuck with me over the years.
The two pieces of advice I would give are:
- Never walk by a problem
- If you bring a problem to your manager, have a solution ready to deliver as well.
Jennifer Stein – Sr. Learning and Development Manager
Be the person others want to become and set the example for those around you. As the saying goes, Lead by example, guide others with your actions and behaviors in addition to your words.
A leader will set the tone, regardless of what is happening around them. Remember that even in chaos or a stressful situation you must appear as a duck, floating on a pond. Cool and calm on top of the water for all to see, but under that water, paddling like crazy to make sure everything is handled and not affecting everyone around you.
To lead, you must be able to connect, motivate, and inspire a sense of ownership of shared objectives. Leading well requires a continuous journey of personal development. Being able to reflect on your own experiences and what worked and what did not will only allow you to grow in your personal development but also help define how you lead others regardless of formal titles or roles.