What will your next promotion mean to you? More money? More power and authority?
This is generally what comes to mind first with the aspiration of a promotion.
But what if you changed your perspective? What if that promotion that you worked so hard for actually meant much more than just money, authority, or a new title?
Photo Credit: Austin King via Compfight cc
Besides, leadership isn’t about you, a title, or a position. Leadership is an action, a verb, not a noun.
Here is one question I want you to ask yourself when you reach for that next rung.
“What kind of impact will I have with this new oppportunity?”
More impact…
By asking this one question you have now shifted your perspective from self-serving to outwardly serving. Once you realize that your role as a leader isn’t at all about the position or the title, but the greater impact, then you’ve put yourself in a different realm of thought.
So if it isn’t all about the extra money or the title, why should we strive to climb that ladder anyhow? If we could climb that ladder all the way to the top, all the while placing the main focus on developing others and creating an impact, imagine the ripple effect that would be carried through in the lives of others.
A quote popped into my head a couple weeks ago while I was on the treadmill. I’m not exactly sure why, but this is where my creativity ‘runs’. Pun intended.
“Leadership is less about getting to the top and more about getting just one rung higher to have enough leverage to pull up those underneath”
That is pretty powerful if you try to visualize it. I picture the leader hanging on with one hand while reaching down to grab the leader below and pulling them up. Sometimes they are on the same rung, sometimes they are just one or two rungs apart.
As a leader you have the continual responsibility to:
- Develop those around you
- Recognize their strengths and weaknesses
- Bring the team together
- Effect positive change in the organization and the lives of others
- Realize the reach of your impact
And this doesn’t change despite your position or title.
Are you willing to shift your perspective on future promotions?
This is a great way of looking at career advancement. I’ve read numerous advice pieces that suggest the best way to get a promotion is by working hard to make your manager look good and get them promoted, but I also like looking at what you’ll be able to accomplish once you get there.
In general, helping those around you will also lead to benefits to yourself, not to mention the world.
Great post, Leo! Changing your perspective is so important.
Thank you Adam, really appreciate it and I completely agree.
Thank you Adam, really appreciate it and I agree.
This is what I wanted to talk to you about Lol! I realized that perspective is golden. It is the difference between energized and moving forward and stagnation. I am changing my perspective on a few things and it is making a huge difference!
Thanks for this! .
RyanBonaparte Hi Ryan, thanks for commenting. I used to think the same thing until I realized it is actually the other way around. It is the leader’s (do not like manager) job to make the team look good. This may seem counterproductive when you look at it from the outside in, but when put into practice the pieces start to fall together. And like you said, helping those around you will lead to benefits yourself. I like to think of those benefits as the pure satisfaction that someone else’s day/month/year was ultimately changed because of how you influenced them in some way. Great discussion!
BRAVECommLLC Wow, really?! I swear I had no idea, haha. Glad to hear you’ve found a way to get through it. If you still require an ear, I’ve got an extra one set aside for you.