What do you do if you're seeking guidance in the field of leadership?

Seeking mentorship for leadership guidance is extremely valuable. Mentors which have prior experience in their field, can share valuable insights from real-life situations they've encountered. This helps you gain a deeper understanding. It's crucial to find a mentor whose personality aligns with yours and who can help you achieve your leadership goals. Mentors have the ability to provide networking opportunities, connecting you with other professionals and offering sound advice. They open up new opportunities and help you develop skills and perspectives.

From my own experience, mentors and coaches are your most valuable resources in your leadership journey. Early in my career, I had several missteps in getting into leadership positions. I was fortunate enough to be pulled into the team of a wonderful leader who not only elevated me from IC to manager but grew me to be a leader of leaders. I was lucky to find this mentor in my chain of command. Many are not and many organizations do not have the capacity to invest in leaders (and resort to hire them from outside). There are many free and open mentorship platforms today that you can leverage to find the guidance you need.

Seeking mentorship is so when needing guidance in leadership is so worthwhile. Mentors are so valuable due to their prior experience within the field. They are able to relate the information they know to real life scenarios they have experienced. This can allow for you to have a deeper understanding too. It is important to seek a mentor which fits your personality and aligns with what you are wishing to achieve in your leadership position. Mentors can allow for you to network further too, meeting other professionals within the industry and have more access to sound advice. Mentors allow you to engage in more opportunity and can help develop your skills and perspectives.

Mentorship: Find a mentor who has experience and expertise in leadership. A mentor can provide valuable insights, advice, and guidance based on their own experiences. Look for someone whose leadership style aligns with your goals and values. Networking: Connect with other leaders and professionals in your industry through networking events, conferences, online forums, and professional associations. Engage in meaningful conversations, seek advice, and learn from their experiences in leadership roles. Professional Development Programs: Enroll in leadership development programs, workshops, seminars, or courses offered by reputable institutions or organizations. These programs often provide valuable insights, strategies.

If seeking guidance in leadership, I actively seek mentors, read relevant literature, attend workshops, and engage in networking opportunities to continuously develop my skills and perspectives.

Reading is so worthwhile as it exposes leaders to a wide range of ideas and perspectives. Resources can allow you to gain different insights into leadership and can learn from prior great leaders. Reading encourages critical thinking when it can challenge you to evaluate different viewpoints and form your own opinions. Reading has been proven to sharpen your mind, so it is beneficial for your personal growth and development. It can encourage self-awareness which are essential qualities for effective leadership. Reading facilitates knowledge and continuous learning and effective communication. Reading allows for your skills to be broadened.

Spend time studying the works of great leaders to gain insight into leadership. Read their books with the intention to learn the following: What was their mindset? How did they communicate? What was their method of leadership? What mistakes did they make? Why were they successful leaders? By obtaining answers to these questions, you'll be well-equipped to determine which leadership style is more suitable for you.

Reading is key for leaders, offering insights from history's greats and new ways of thinking. It’s not about piling up facts, but sharpening your mind to think differently and solve problems. Mixing it up with biographies, leadership theories, and real-life case studies helps. I’d look for books that challenge me and make me see things from a new angle. It's about growing a toolbox of ideas you can use anytime. Staying open-minded and ready to learn from every page is my strategy. This way, you build your leadership style on a solid, diverse foundation.

Existe un dicho que me encanta: "Los líderes son lectores". Y vaya que tiene mucho sentido. Cuando leemos sobre liderazgo, estamos abriendo las puertas al aprendizaje, a experiencias, conocimientos y perspectivas que de otra manera podríamos no haber considerado. Algo que también mucho recomiendo son los audiolibros, aprovechar esto mientras manejamos, ejercitamos, etc.

Most leaders get to their roles due to their industry knowledge and acumen, not their soft skills or understanding of people. Due to this, I recommend most leaders look into a few areas to even out their expertise and broaden their skill set. - Psychological Safety - Authenticity - Building trust - Communication - Presence Outside of this, take a couple 360 assessment and look for common weak points that are identified and use that as a focus for your reading. In general, for any topic, there is one book that will give you 80% of what you need. Find it, read it, master it and move on. Learning is a life long journey and reading is a core part of that journey!

Attending leadership group sessions is a beneficial way to learn from other leaders and pave a path for yourself. You'll gain new insights and perspectives into leadership, refine your knowledge, and receive valuable feedback on areas to improve as a leader.

Put you hand up for existing groups or committees. This will expose you to different people, leaders, business units and thoughts. This is an indirect way to get more exposure to new people within your org as well as expanding your networks which may open yourself up to a suitable mentor. I'm a big fan of trying new things for the good of yourself and the organisation, as Richard B said, "say yes and learn how to do the rest later".

Shared knowledge is a great way to accelerate your learning by gaining more experience from other peoples experiences and lessons learnt.

As a practicing industrial organizational psychologist & leadership advisor, I can attest 2 the immense value of joining peer networks 4 leadership development. By bringing real-world problems 2 these networks, individuals not only enhance their leadership skills but also contribute 2 solving actual work challenges. Through collaborative problem-solving, members leverage diverse perspectives & collective wisdom 2 generate innovative solutions. This process fosters a sense of ownership and accountability, leading 2 meaningful progress & tangible outcomes that u can take back to your work.

Mejoramos en aquello que ocupamos nuestro tiempo. Es hora de ver las capacitaciones como una inversión. Algo que he visto y que es una constancia es que hay muchos lideres de Google pero que no participan intencionalmente en capacitación, cursos, certificaciones o procesos de coaching, por que dicen "son caros o eso no hace la diferencia". Por alguna razón hasta las personas mas exitosas en negocios se capacitan constantemente y cuentan con mentores.

Workshops, much like books are a great way to gain knowledge from others. Again, no one workshop or book is the be all and end all but simply one piece of the puzzle. Do as many as you can realistically and pick and choose the information thats relevant to you and your journey.

Going to workshops is like grabbing the best tools for your leadership toolkit. You will learn cool new things from inspiring people who really know their stuff, and you get to practice right there. Look for ones that match your objectives. Come with a plan. Every workshop you attend is a step towards becoming an even better leader.

Level-set your expectations before you seek guidance. Understand what it is you are actually looking to gain. Cast a wide net - read voraciously, from classic leadership tomes to unconventional wisdom from outside the business world. Seek mentors who inspire you, not just in achievements, but in character and creativity. Dive into podcasts, TED Talks, and even documentaries for diverse perspectives. Engage in leadership forums or communities; the shared experiences and challenges can offer invaluable insights. Most importantly, practice self-reflection regularly. Leadership wisdom often comes from having a genuine understanding your own strengths, weaknesses, and values.

Reflection and self-awareness is the basis upon which a good leader is built. We need to understand ourselves thoroughly before we can lead, inspire and motivate others effectively and efficiently. Your competence will build your confidence.

I'm a big fan of journaling. I find writing is great for reflection but also developing further insight into your journey. Write down you big moments. Be it bad or good. Would you do things differently? How did it make you feel before, during and after? What did you learn? All this questions are great to write on paper to not only let go of them but also reflect on at a later point to see how far you've come.

I've found that 'coaches' is anyone who has the experience and willingness to help. I have a group of paid coaches that I get enormous value from. I call these my 'core' coaches, in that they help me with my ongoing issues, opportunities, mindset... and a few other things that are a bit outside the box. I also have my network. This is an important group of people that I also think of at coaches 'reactive' coaches. If I have an issue that relates to them directly, I feel comfortable picking up the phone or sending an email for their thoughts and insights. Both are important, and for me both a vital.

Coaching offers a unique, personalized journey into leadership development, setting it apart from mentorship's experience-sharing model. Coaches work closely with you to develop customized strategies that enhance self-awareness and facilitate growth tailored to your specific leadership goals and challenges. Prioritize finding a certified coach whose expertise and values resonate with yours. Initiating a consultation can help assess compatibility, ensuring a fruitful partnership. The right coach not only holds you accountable but also challenges you to expand your boundaries and unlock your full potential. This dynamic relationship is key to achieving sustained growth and success in your leadership career.

A good leadership or executive coach will create a safe space for you to explore your leadership potential in ways you many not be able to do with a mentor or in the normal course of your work. Additionally, the outside and usually broader perspective of a solid coach will see blind spots mentors and peers will miss. Similar to finding a mentor, look for a good fit when interviewing coaches. Not only do you want someone who has a relevant background, you also want someone who has an approach that aligns with you. Good coaches will always offer a chemistry session for this reason, don't be afraid to set up many to find the right coach for you!

Find ways to exercise what you've learnt, seek feedback and iterate. Ultimately, the books you read, the mentors and coaches you talk to, etc. can only help you acquire knowledge. Unless you apply this knowledge and see how it plays out in different scenarios is the only way to make meaningful progress with the knowledge you acquired. Ask permission from those you lead to experiment, seek out and welcome candid feedback. There are no fixed answers in leadership. What worked before or for someone else is not guaranteed to work for you, with your team or in your situation. Experiment, observe, reflect, and retry before seeking out even more guidance.

Learn and improve from wherever you can. Ask people who are good leaders to share their perspective, what they do, what they read, how do they solve the issues and how do they treat people in proper way. Ask for advice politely. In most cases I never been refused. Learn from others without fear and hesitation. And never stop!

The best thing you can do when you want to be a leader is to make the decision... it is the first step. From there on, follow any of the other steps such as looking for a mentor, attending workshops and seminars, training. Try to look for leaders that you know have been successful and hopefully you recognize them as such.

Discover various leadership styles and techniques through experimentation to determine the most effective approach for both yourself and your team. By trying out different methods, you can identify the strategies that resonate with your leadership style and bring out the best in your team members. Cultivate a sense of curiosity and open-mindedness, always remaining eager to explore new opportunities for personal and professional growth as a leader. Continuously seek out learning opportunities, whether through workshops, seminars, or reading materials, to stay updated with the latest trends and practices in leadership. This commitment to ongoing learning will enable you to adapt and evolve as a leader, ensuring your continued success.

"Activity Leads to Results", rings true in this case. The more you put yourself out there, meet new people and try new things that test your leadership there can only be one result....GROWTH! Have a crack and don't stay stagnant - keep moving and making a difference :)