|
Are You Boss
Material?
Ready to take on a leadership role at work? In this interview with Marshall
Goldsmith, corporate America's
preeminent executive coach, he tells you how to show you've got the right
stuff:
What are companies looking for when vetting potential leaders?
Basically, they want someone who can mobilize others to turn their
organization's values into action and vision into realities. Most often this
means they're looking for people who have a global perspective and
cross-cultural understanding, are able to build partnerships and alliances
and can process information and learn in a highly efficient manner.
How do you communicate your leadership abilities in an interview or a
resume?
For a high-level position, show your ability to think broadly, strategically
and for the long-term good of the organization. Discuss your past
achievements in terms of how you evaluated situations, processed information
and took action by looking at the big picture.
For mid-management jobs, make it clear you achieved great results, but focus
on execution and how you helped lead a team to success. Don't make it all
about you. Instead, discuss how you helped others develop and how people who
worked for you accomplished objectives and achieved results.
What if you haven't held a leadership role before?
One way to demonstrate your interest and aptitude is to seek feedback from
coworkers on what you can do to improve. Focus on making just a few changes,
and check in on your progress. Not only will your performance and
relationships improve, but the feedback can help you make the case for
having ‘leadership qualities.'
And
remember, leaders don't always have to have direct reports. You can be a
leader by driving change. As a change-leader, focus on what needs to be
altered as judged by who is setting the measurement standard. Make sure the
person keeping score - be it a boss, senior management or customer - will
find value in the changes you make. And build in ongoing follow-up to ensure
your improvements are recognized and working.
When sharing these experiences, describe how you helped lead change to meet
expectations of those looking for change.
How would you answer the inevitable ‘what are your greatest strengths and
weaknesses' questions?
Don't give a generic answer. Tailor your response to the needs of the job.
Highlight a strength that is needed for the particular position. And by all
means, don't mention a weakness in an area that is a major job requirement!
Avoid trite, overused answers like, ‘I work too hard' or ‘I'm a
perfectionist.' Leaders are always learning and improving, so don't ever say
you are a hopeless anything.
Position how you learned and improved over time. Show how you obtained
feedback from your peers or employees and how you've gotten better and are
still working on improvement.
What's the best way to sell yourself ... to make them want you and not the
other guy?
Mass marketing doesn't work in a job search, so redo your resume and cover
letter, so that it is tailored specifically to each opportunity.
Speak in terms of positives you can bring to the company or job and what you
can do for them. Show your skills and knowledge and how you can add value.
Adding value is important.
Stay away from messages that say ‘I'm wonderful, you should hire me.' No one
wants a prima Donna.
How can one become a better leader?
By asking a variety of key stakeholders for ideas, opinions and suggestions
and modeling continuous learning in your day-to-day behavior through
effective listening and reflection.
A good leader is a good coach, so help others around you develop. When
giving feedback, keep it positive, simple and focused. And always be
forward-looking. You can't change the past, but you can influence the
future.
Marshall
Goldsmith is a renowned leadership development expert, whose clients have
included many of the world's leading corporations. The American Management
Association recently named him one of the great thinkers and leaders who
have a made an impact on business over the past century. He has written over
15 books including "The Leader of the Future" and "Global Leadership: The
Next Generation." |
|
Public Interest
Reports
Hosteze.com was launched to make web hosting easy
for the beginner and advanced alike. We offer reliable personal,
business, corporate and non-profit web hosting solutions.
Our packages offer
the best value with straightforward, solid, affordable,
feature-packed hosting. Whether you’re a novice user just starting
out or operate a heavily trafficked site, Hosteze has a the hosting
plan that will help you make the most of your web experience! We make it easy enough so that the beginner
user as well as advanced user can take advantage of all the Internet
has to offer. Hosteze is committed to providing quality, reliable
and easy to use web hosting solutions.
As our name implies, we strive to make the
hosting experience as easy and straightforward as possible. The
simplicity of our service allows beginners to get online with ease
while our technical superiority provides excellent service for the
more advanced. Whatever your level of expertise, Hosteze will be
there to assist you as needed.
Our top priority is to provide high-quality
reliable services and top-notch customer service to all customers.
Learn More
|
