Moving Up To A Leadership Role

by: Cherry 

Many thanks for your kind words about my website, Mark. It is great to hear that the work I have put into creating it is bearing fruit in the encouragement my visitors get from it.

My guess is that as an engineer with 30 years experience, you will already have lots of experience as a leader. Engineering projects are carried out by teams and I am sure that in carrying out your day-to-day work, you have had to plan, organise, meet deadlines, negotiate deals, respond strategically, deal with crises, inspire and motivate others etc. etc.. The list will be a long one.

Your first step needs to be to get really clear about just what you have achieved at work and list the skills and expertise you have gained along the way. I suggest that you ask for feedback from half a dozen colleagues. Ask them what they see as your particular strengths, qualities and achievements. It is often a pleasant surprise to hear how well regarded you are and to realise what others appreciate in you.

Once you have a clearer picture of the value and range of what you are ‘selling’ it will be easier to promote yourself to others.

You may have already read the summary of the ENTJ type on my website, but it would be worth taking another look. https://www.how-to-change-careers.com/entj.html

ENTJs are natural leaders and you may have taken on a leadership role without really thinking about it.

The potential weak spot for your type as a leader is the matter of ‘winning hearts and minds’. Here’s a reminder of some of the traps you may have stumbled into from time to time.

• • May be too task and strategy orientated and overlook the needs of people

• • Your ‘big picture’ may be lacking in practical detail

• • Can come across as impatient, intolerant and domineering

• • Want to get on and may fail to win hearts and minds before acting

• • Impatient with detail

• • Do not tolerate inefficiency well

• • May forget to praise and encourage others

Is it possible that some of these may have held you back when applying for more senior roles?

At the end of the day, ‘getting someone to let me run their business’, whether it is a large company or a small one, will involve you in using your persuasive skills to win through. They will be impressed by your experience and knowledge, but you have to convince them at a more personal level too.

And of course, if you really want to be the leader of a big vision, then there is always the option of setting up your own business. There is no doubt that you will have a lot to offer and when it is your own company, then you will have the satisfaction of knowing that all your efforts have a direct impact on the success of your enterprise.