Just because you don’t have a certain title doesn’t mean you’re not a leader, according to David Burkus, Ph.D., as part of TED’s “How to Be a Better Human” series.
Burkus shares ways to demonstrate leadership at work so you can recognize those moments, act on them and use them to make the argument on why you’re the leader that your organization needs:
Take responsibility. Take initiative when new assignments appear, and be the first to volunteer for new tasks that are applicable to your skill set. Note: You don’t need to volunteer for everything and you shouldn’t — just the ones that offer a real chance to either use or further develop your skills.
Include other people. Every organization wants leaders who believe that the success of the team outweighs the success of any individual. The best way to demonstrate that is by making sure others are included in meetings, brainstorming sessions and key decisions.
Speak up. Be willing to share your ideas in meetings, be willing to offer feedback to colleagues and your supervisor and be willing to champion ideas (yours or others) in meetings when decisions are being made.
Ask questions. Asking questions isn’t just a way to speak up when you don’t have an idea to offer — although that can be the reason and it does work. Asking questions during team meetings or conversations with colleagues helps people think through their ideas and find improvements.
Deliver. Always deliver what you promise. Get your work done on time and to the standard that is expected. When you volunteer for new assignments, make sure you can deliver on them as well.
Most often in organizations, the people who get fast-tracked for leadership roles are the ones seen as high performers. It’s important to be a team player, to speak up and to ask questions. But if you’re doing all of that yet failing at your assigned tasks, then you may not keep your existing role for long — let alone be considered for leadership roles.