What are the most important steps to prepare for a promotion in Team Leadership?

As a dentist, I am good at treating patients and communicating with them. I work well with my team solve problems effectively, and care about my patients feelings. However, I need to get better at leading my team, understanding the business side of dentistry, and continuing my education. I will ask my team, colleagues, or someone senior to me for feedback to help me improve.

Before seeking a promotion, assess your leadership skills, achievements, and areas for growth. Gather feedback from team members, colleagues, and supervisors to understand your strengths and weaknesses. This process enables you to showcase accomplishments and address any skill gaps, ensuring readiness for advancement.

Understanding financials is an essential skill for anyone aspiring to a leadership role. Leaders are often tasked with managing budgets, allocating resources efficiently, and making decisions that have significant financial implications. This requires a basic yet solid grasp of financial principles, including budgeting processes, and financial forecasting. By developing financial literacy, you're better equipped to plan projects within budget, identify cost-saving opportunities, and justify investments in new initiatives or resources. It also enables you to contribute more effectively to strategic planning and decision-making processes, as you'll understand the financial impact of your team's actions on the organization's overall health.

It is always good to have your expectations aligned about the role. A lot of times, we thing we're cut-out for a certain role by observing it from afar, however, many a times when we step into the rol we realize that the reality is way different. So when you're about to apply for a promotion, talk to someone who has worked in that role and positions, understand the challenges, and then benchmark your skills and strengths around it, and decide whether you're ready for it right away, or if you need more time to prepare yourself.

As a team leader one of the most important ways to demonstrate your readiness for a promotion is to show your value to your organization. This value might be shown through your experience , your rank , your credit , your position , your achievements. You pave the way for your team to modify themselves and make progress based on organization goals.

Craft a clear vision and SMART goals aligned with organizational objectives as a team leader. Track progress to motivate and guide your team effectively, ensuring alignment with broader strategies. This approach fosters communication, motivation, and tangible results.

SMART is a very effective way of setting the right and realistic expectations for yourself and your teams. Have a broad overall vision and ensure that you link it to the goals that follow the SMART principle.

Expanding your network and influence is crucial for advancing in team leadership. Strengthen relationships with stakeholders, both within and outside your organization, to broaden your impact. By sharing expertise and collaborating across teams, you enhance visibility and credibility, positioning yourself for a successful promotion.

Expanding your network and influence can largely determine your success in a particular role. Understand your communication style, and reach out to the stakeholders that you would potentially be dealing with. Show up as your authentic self and understand their motivations, communication styles and expectations.

It is essential to anticipate and train in new areas that may be in the scope of your company's risks. This training to cover these risks for example in the environmental, social governance fields and even in the area of artificial intelligence can also allow you to lead new lines of action and develop new strategic approaches for your company.

Learning new skills is key, but let's take it a step further and become leadership material that shines Proactively demonstrate initiative, problem-solving, and decision-making. Mentor colleagues, offer constructive feedback, and champion collaboration. Show, don't just tell! Don't shy away from learning from both successes and failures. Show your ability to think critically and influence others. By focusing on behavior, initiative, continuous learning, and building rapport, you'll position yourself as a true leader, not just someone with skills. This approach will not only prepare you for a promotion but also make you an invaluable asset to any team. Remember, leadership is a journey, not a destination!

As leaders we should be constantly striving to develop ourselves as this enables us to develop those we lead. Make sure to take a balanced view by focusing on a range of skills across the spectrum of leadership. These should include behavioural, critical thinking, and communication centered skills.

A mentor brings more than experience; they bring a vision that sees beyond the immediate hurdles to the broader landscape of possibilities. The guidance from someone who's navigated the path you aspire to tread is invaluable. It's not just about learning from their successes but also understanding the resilience behind their setbacks. Remember, the mentor-mentee relationship is a two-way street, enriched by mutual respect and shared curiosity. As you absorb wisdom, don't shy away from sharing your perspectives too. This exchange fosters a dynamic learning environment, encouraging growth for both.

Having a coach or mentor is invaluable in your career because they offer a perspective that you might not see on your own. They can provide guidance, support, and insight to help you identify your strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for growth. With their experience and expertise, they can help you navigate challenges, make informed decisions, and develop strategies to achieve your goals. Their guidance can be instrumental in helping you unlock your full potential and find the path that is best suited for your personal and professional development.

4 KEY STEPS YOU CAN USE 1. Show your boss you're ready for the next level role by consistently beating expectations. 2. Be proactive to take up additional responsibilities whenever they come up. Raise your hand up regularly when more work falls in your team's lap. 3. Take some load off your boss's chest, especially the work he may not enjoy doing. 4. And if you can't fathom the chance of being passed over for promotion, you can pitch yourself to be considered for it. All things remaining equal, the candidate who's hungry for growth may edge out his nearest contender. SUMMING UP Enterprise, hunger and initiative make for a potent cocktail that's hard to ignore in a candidate being considered for a team leadership promotion.

To showcase your potential, you must be willing to go the extra mile. This means putting in additional effort, taking on challenges outside your comfort zone, and consistently exceeding expectations. By demonstrating your willingness to go above and beyond, you prove your dedication, capability, and ambition, setting yourself apart and showcasing your true potential.

In my experience, it is also important to identify who could be your competitors in order to define what competences you have to focus on.

self-assessment, continuous learning, build track record, develop leadership competencies, seek feedback, mentorship and networking, expand responsibilities, build + team culture, create leadership development scheme, stay resilient & align with organizational goals

Be yourself. You can improve yourself, and your chances of obtaining a promotion, by doing a lot of the things discussed in other parts of this article, but one of the quickest ways to fail as a leader is to try and be someone you are not. Be genuine, actually care about your people, your organization and your mission, and do it in an authentic way that you are comfortable maintaining.