This article was originally published on.cultbyNeil Green.
.cult is a Berlin-based community platform for developers.
…been hoping to be promoted to a lead position… You believe you are ready to lead others.
It’s free, every week, in your inbox.
…but every time something comes around, I miss out.
…so I think this might be why.
I will address each of these beliefs independently by posing them as questions:
1.
Should I be promoted after being at a company for a certain length of time?
Organizations should promote based on ability, not on tenure.
How do I prove to my organization that Im ready to lead?
By alreadybeing a leader.
A leader does not wait until they get a promotion to start leading.
Being a leader has a simple requirement: people are following you of their own free will.
Why would management not promote someone to a leadership role when they ask for a promotion?
Leaders often have to say what others are afraid to say, even if its not a popular opinion.
Is it ever a good idea to be headstrong?
Yes its practically a core requirement of leadership.
Having conviction is another way that leaders earn the trust of the people they lead.
Remember, youre not a leader unless people are following you.
Therefore, if theyre following you, that means they dont mind you being headstrong.
However, there is a fine line between being headstrong and ignoring the opinion of others.
Good leaders dont cross that line.
Should I ever raise an objection?
Never let your team march over a cliff if you’re able to prevent it.
Does it matter if I rub people the wrong way?
If you bring up an objection, and you end up offending people, you were ineffective.
The purpose of objecting is to persuade people that their proposed course of action is incorrect.
Otherwise, youre just whining.
They also never bring up an objection without a proposal that they feel is a better choice.
Good leaders dont dictate;they persuade yet another characteristic that makes people want to follow you.
Could me raising an objection cost me a promotion to leadership?
It depends on the degree of how offensive you are, and how often you are offending people.
Every leader loses their cool from time to time.
Leadership is stressful, and leaders are humans.
Most people understand that sometimes people say something they shouldnt.
Provided you apologize quickly, youll often gain forgiveness for the occasional mishap.
Absolutely not quite the opposite.
What good is a leader unless they speak the truth even if it is unpopular?
What is the utility of a leader that only says what they think other people want to hear?
People will decide who they want to follow regardless of who they report to in the management hierarchy.
Generally, people will choose to follow people who think they have their best interests at heart.
Story by.cult
.cult by Honeypot is a Berlin-based community platform for developers.
