One of the most frequent complaints that entry-level and midlevel professionals share with recruiters is that their current positions don't provide them with enough authority to lead. But for true leaders, the ability to influence others is much more powerful than officially vested authority.
So if you want to make the kind of difference that will set you apart from other job seekers and elevate your profile on career-management sites, you have to learn to lead from any level. Here's how:
1. Brand yourself as a leader
Whether you realize it or not, you have an employment brand that's made up of how you present yourself and your work within your company. What does your brand say about you? Is it professional, upwardly mobile, and open to opportunities? Or ferociously independent, highly creative, and strongly opinionated? Or technical, antisocial, and quiet? Just reading those descriptions probably conjured up images of people you've worked with. Now ask yourself how others would describe you.
Choosing and expressing an appropriate brand is critical to establishing your position in the minds of your audience. So if your focus is on being a leader, identify what a leader looks like to you--and then start presenting yourself accordingly.
2. Influence key workplace decision-makers
Regardless of conventional wisdom, most people base decisions--even complex technical and financial ones--on emotional factors. So if you can connect with people emotionally, you'll have an advantage when it comes to influencing them to follow your lead. Pay attention to the emotional cues you receive when you're speaking with others--whether they're engaged or distracted, intent or upset. Understand what drives your audience, and then communicate in ways that feed that drive: for example, an appreciation of rules and structure may drive your company's staff lawyer; for your designer, it could be a focus on personal freedom.
3. Tell your story with passion
At the heart of any successful sale lies a story, one that builds a connection between a product, person, or service and a target audience. In your case, your story should focus on your primary passion--whether that is leadership, execution, strategy, or performance. By presenting yourself effectively with a specific message in nearly every conversation, and speaking or writing with intention, you can build a reputation of both focus and power. This tip extends to your job-search materials as well. Whether you're speaking with recruiters or posting your resume on a career-management site, every contact is a chance for you to share your story with excitement and intensity.
Because if you believe in it, others will, too. And once you've engaged them in that story, they'll be much more likely to follow where you lead.
Mike O'Brien is an innovative entrepreneur dedicated to helping others create breakthrough success, and is the founder and CEO of Climber.com, one of the nation's leading online career-management sites. For more information about how to find your perfect career, visit www.Climber.com, or connect with Mike on LinkedIn.
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