Executive Advice For Emerging Leaders: Take Ownership Early On
For emerging leaders, learning from the people who’ve been there and done that is an invaluable part of development. Read on for some nuggets of wisdom from senior executives who have forged paths, overcome challenges, and set the stage for the next generation of people-centered leaders.
In this installment, the executives below are sharing some of the advice they wish they’d known before embarking on their winding career paths. We asked them for tips based on their successes and mistakes over the years:
Renada W. Deschamp, Vice President of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer, Woman’s Hospital
Glynn Fontenot, Plant Manager (ret.), Methanex
Adrian Owen Jones, Chief Growth Officer, ThreeSixtyEight
Kevin Guidry, Vice President, Woman’s Hospital Cancer Center
Today’s lesson boils down to: Take control of your early career. Your bosses are looking at how you lead your projects, take feedback, and present with your authentic self.
What is something you wish you would have known earlier in your career?
Everybody is already a manager. Your are a manager of your own work. If you understand that, your supervisors will be more likely to engage and coach you up to the next role or project.
It’s important to know and work through your own deficits. Understanding where you fall short is key to eventually being able to build a team with strengths you don’t possess.
What is your advice for new leaders?
Be yourself from day one. You can try to be someone else, but when things aren’t going well, you will inevitably revert back to the truest form of yourself. You will build more influence as a team member and leader if you are true to yourself from day one.
Open the door for your team to give you feedback. This shows that you are taking ownership of your position, and builds trust among your team.
Assume positive intent. This goes along with assuming your team can do the job they were hired to do until they prove otherwise. When work does fall below par, assuming positive intent helpfully shifts the conversation from blame to support, which nurtures better and more productive working relationships.
Figure out what you value and ruthlessly prioritize everything in your life to uphold those values.
Thank you to these executives for sharing their insight on what has helped them advance in their leadership. No matter what level or role you are in, applying this advice is sure to help you build the soft skills that are crucial to leadership success.
Success Labs is a leadership development and management consulting firm in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. For more than 25 years, our expert team of consultants has worked with hundreds of companies to grow leaders, build teams and drive results through great people strategy. Contact us to get proactive about expanding your company’s potential, and stay up-to-date with our latest news and leadership development updates here.