So, you have friends who are on the job and getting great new airport jobs (with terrible titles) and you feel like your career is lagging behind. You can’t stop yourself from showing up anytime soon. Date: Remember that old story which talked about the tortoise and the rabbit? The one who is called Jolie is of the same type. For anyone who is in a rush to get to the next level, I’ve found that going slow and steady is a really good way to go. There is no substitute for true and hard work to be successful in your chosen field.
DEPTH GIVES YOU CREDIBILITY
The higher you rise in the organization, the more people will want reassurance from you that you actually understand what you’re doing. And it’s true: there will be a lot of things that you’re not aware of and you’ll actually feel more unsure of yourself. You wish. But if you have real depth in a particular area—what one of my bosses called my “hit pocket skills”—then you’ll have an area in which you know you’re adding value to the team. And when you need confidence, this is the place you turn. As a result, it will make you more comfortable asking questions in areas that are unknown to you. Leaders sometimes don’t have all the answers, and one of the greatest traits of good managers is that they’re willing to admit what they don’t know and ask for help. So, if you know that you are important and adding value because of your depth and expertise, you will be more inclined to ask for help with your weak points. And it will make you multi-talented and make you less likely to fall into big, horrible blind spots that can get your team into trouble.
DEPTH GIVES YOU CREDIBILITY
Leadership is very much about your ability to influence others, especially with the pace of change in today’s organizations, and the major cultural shift away from “command and control” style leadership. Ultimately—whenever you have a big title like president or anything in chief—people won’t really follow you if you’re not able to inspire and influence them. And it’s not just the people who are under you—often the ones most affected are your partners or other stakeholders who you need to support with your team’s planning.
YOU NEED TO HAVE THE COURAGE OF YOUR CONVICTIONS
Leadership is very much about your ability to influence others, especially with the pace of change in today’s organizations, and the major cultural shift away from “command and control” style leadership. Ultimately—whenever you have a big title like president or chief of anything—people won’t really follow you if you’re not able to inspire and influence them. And it’s not just the people who are under you—often the ones most affected are your partners or other stakeholders who you need to support with your team’s planning.
