The four-step 'Clan' plan to becoming a successful leader at work
What makes a leader? The answer to that question is not as clear cut as it once was. The traits of great leadership are evolving as our world becomes faster-moving, more connected and more digital.
And when this change, and the challenges it brings, can be relentless, volatile and unknowable, it is not the CEO in a corner office who is going to drive innovation: it is the everyday leaders, in all shapes and sizes of organisation, at all levels, and with all sorts of different experiences and perspectives.
Anyone with determination, ambition and will to succeed can become a leader on their own terms. But they do need to be supported by what I call a ‘Clan’ - an acronym for four steps that can help you on the road to successful leadership.
So whether you are keen to make the most of your existing role, step up into your first management position, or want to leave employment to start a new business, here’s how to unleash your potential and power towards your goal - using your Clan...
Choose your company carefully
Whatever you choose to do, you will need the help, trust and belief of other people to make it work. That will include everyone from managers and mentors to your peer group, and a wider network of people you meet online and at events.
Of course, ’choose your company’ has several meanings. Sheryl Sandberg famously said that a woman’s most significant career choice is her life partner and it is certainly the case that stepping up is a lot easier if you have someone who champions you.
The other ‘company’ you need to be choosing carefully is your place of work. Does it have a good track record of promoting diversity, innovation and professional development? Will there be opportunities to relocate, or work across different areas of the business? You need a hospitable environment in which your potential can flourish.
Love what you do
This may sound obvious, but it bears repeating. Quite simply, you have to be passionate about what you’re doing if you want to make a real success of it.
You need to be doing something where you could have a bad morning, even a few bad days, and not be discouraged from carrying on. Loving what you do is crucial to having the motivation to keep going, whatever hurdles you may face.
So find a job, create a career or build a way of working that you can pursue with passion and then give it everything you’ve got. Because you’ll need everything you’ve got if you want to keep on stepping up
Aim high (but appreciate what you’ve got)
Be ambitious in the long term. Don’t just think about what your immediate next step is. Jump forward a few moves and consider what the landscape will look like from there.
What trends and changes are affecting your work, which competitors both existing and potential should you be thinking about, what does your dream client or customer market look like and how could you get there? Be ambitious for yourself too: where do you want to end up and what are the stepping stones that will get you there? At the same time, don’t expend all your energy looking for the next role. Never forget to do your current job with grace and gusto.
In your current role, don’t be satisfied just to do what works; think about what else you could be doing to deliver brilliant things that move you and your business forward. This means developing a mindset where you’re never entirely satisfied or settled, and are always looking for a new way to improve, innovate and do even better next time.
Network with purpose
Networking makes many people shudder but it is also one of the single most important routes to unlocking and accelerating your leadership potential. If you want to be an effective leader, you’ll want to be well networked both within your organisation and beyond, across your sector.
You don’t network because it is fun to collect business cards, you network because you need to meet people to build business context, procure market intelligence, spot patterns, meet potential clients, source the best colleagues, influence decisions, and look around corners to see where the next big ideas are coming from.
If you find that a bit intimidating, take it from me: no one is entirely confident going into a room full of people; everyone has social anxiety on some level. I suggest that you find events that genuinely pique your curiosity; go where you feel you have the most to learn, ask questions be interested in other people, and be clear to yourself about what you’re hoping to achieve.
It’s time to conquer your fears and throw yourself into it.
Sarah Wood is CEO of video ad tech company Unruly and author of Stepping Up: How to accelerate your leadership potential (FT Publishing).