What steps can I take to develop strong leadership skills in my current role?

Jump at any leadership opportunity you get.

Examples of leadership opportunities:

• Leading an offsite.
• Leading a team-building event.
• Leading a community service event.
• Stepping in for a manager who is on PTO.
• Stepping in for a manager who is delayed, or has somewhere to go to, and is not able to attend a meeting or event, at which they were scheduled to preside.
• Offering to project-manage, or lead a project.

• Empowering your team members by being a mentor to them, rallying them, or being a voice for them.

Before you do any of the above, it’s important that you know, what you are taking on, when you step into a leadership role, even if it’s only for one meeting, one event, one offsite, or one situation.

You can’t afford to be only half-committed, disorganized, or to create headaches for everyone.

You will need to deliver, and deliver smoothly, professionally, and appropriately.

Here’s some information (below) to help you step into leadership opportunities, confidently and competently.

You never want to blow an opportunity, if a future leadership role is in your sights, and you want to get your leadership skills noticed, or to build on your developing leadership credibility.

Minoo Jha

 · 5y

What type of leadership skills do you look for in a boss?

You asked, What type of leadership skills do you look for in a boss? I may come back and add to this answer as I think of additional things, but off the top of my head, here are some skills: 1. Should be able to assess skills fit and personality fit of each of her/his reports for different tasks 2. Approachable 3. Does not micromanage 4. Looks at the big picture 5. Does not overwork or underwork people - able to assess resources correctly 6. Fair - does not favor some people over the other 7. Good communicator 8. Is not moody 9. Manages up and down appropriately 10. Has no anger issues 11. Is dependable 12. Should be someone the team can lookup to and respect 13. Is a caring person 14. Respects people’s time - does not schedule meetings late evening etc. 15. Handles mistakes well

Minoo Jha

 · Apr 2

What are some effective leadership strategies?

Anything that promotes cooperation is good… True of False: Questions for Your Cooperative Self (applicable to all the groups and teams you are in) The more people with a service heart and a service heart in a group or team, the better the group or team - everyone in a group or team should have a servant heart and a service heart. There may be shy people or introverted people in a group or team, there may be reserved people in a group or team, but there should never be any isolated or disconnected people in a group or team. Everyone should feel connected. Nobody should feel they are on the outside. There should be no favoritism in a group or team. No "I'm better than you" or "Only my ideas count". Everyone should feel equally valued. Interactions between two group or team members should leave the other person uplifted, not diminished. There should be no talking down to, no teasing or ridiculing, and no shaming. Further, all group or team interactions should be warm and not cold. The only kind of competition teams should indulge in amongst themselves is friendly competition. There should be no toxic popularity contests. There should be no toxic ability contests. There should be no toxic power contests. Everyone in a group or team should have a voice and be attentively listened to. Attentive listening strengthens groups and teams. Everyone in a group or team should feel that they walk on water. If some have work secrets, tribal knowledge, or privileged information, and others don't, this is an unfair advantage. Those without the knowledge and information should be given the knowledge and information as quickly as possible. The goal should be not to have some group or team members feel knowledgeable and capable, but have all group or team members feel knowledgeable and capable. This typically requires patience and humility on the part of those with the early advantage. Even more so, if they are team leads or managers. In time, the advantage should be erased. This is a good thing for the group or team. True or false: there's a lot to think about when it comes to your Cooperative Self.

Rinse and repeat.

At every step of the corporate ladder, and unless, and until, you have to cut back because of family responsibilities, continue to demonstrate excellence with every leadership opportunity you decide to take, big or small.

It’s one of the surest ways to climb the corporate ladder.

Minoo Jha

 · 1m

What is some advice to climb the corporate ladder quickly in this world?

Hi, You asked, What is some advice to climb the corporate ladder quickly in this world? Step up to organizational and leadership challenges. When your boss is out, you should be the one they redirect all their out of office emails to. Keep doing this at every level.

What are the best lessons you have learned from working with, and dealing with other people?

In our professional life, as in our personal life, we will face all kinds of situations, involving other people’s behavior.

From practical jokes, to insensitivity, to someone inconveniencing us, or compromising us, to someone intentionally or unintentionally insulting us, treating us shabbily, or making things difficult for us.

If we can avoid reacting impulsively, sooner or later, many of these situations will become non-events (unimportant) to us.

For one-off situations, we should try to avoid reacting immediately to the irksome behavior.

If we feel we can’t tolerate it, and get past it, even though weeks have passed, we should schedule a heart to heart with the person who has caused us grief with their upsetting behavior.

We need to give the other person a chance.

Rather than have a heart full of resentment about someone, and go passive-aggressive on them, we should be able to get to a place of “forgive and forget”.

Some people go for decades, even a lifetime, without letting go of slights and resentments.

It’s so sad.

This will happen to you more in your family life, and your personal life, than at work.

At work, everyone has at least 3 options:

Option 1 is to communicate with whoever is causing us a problem, and to tell them what we didn't like,  and to please refrain from doing that again.

Option 2  - When Option 1 doesn’t work, we have the choice to go to our manager, and request them to speak to the person, whose behavior we are experiencing a problem with.

If neither Option 1 or 2 has an effect, we have a third option, which is to go to HR, and launch a formal, or informal complaint.

What if the person causing us problems is the manager itself?

Then we can choose the HR option, rallying the support of any team members, who are willing to join us.

Final thought:

As a final thought, we should try to turn as many situations in our life as possible (other than truly, truly intolerable events), into non-events.

This will lead to a happier, more fulfilling life.

More importantly, our cherished relationships will remain intact.

Minoo Jha

 · 2y

Have you turned any challenge into an opportunity?

Here are some challenges I turned into growth opportunities: 10 situations which I turned into growth opportunities… 1. Not getting a badge, a computer, or systems access for 17 days, after I started my new assignment... I took it on as a meditation challenge to be cheerful and go with the flow…and I succeeded. 2. Being the only one excluded from a lunch invitation one day As quick as I could, I got over any bad feelings about it. Plus I even had a cheerful response prepared, if anyone were to say, “Hey Minoo, sorry we didn’t think of asking you whether you wanted to go with us”. I had planned to say, “Don’t worry, I will join you the next time.” . 3. Or the time someone played a prank on me, by using my computer and email account to send an email from me to a group of 40 people with the message “They call me Moo Moo” I got over the initial surprise and indignation as quick as I could, and decided to let it go. I later discovered the prankster had done the same thing to multiple people. It was a genial prank, aimed at laughs, and not to victimize. Now, a month later, I am happy I did not make an issue out of it, and in fact, I am able to react with equanimity, when I run into the prankster, who has now taken to calling me Moo Moo. 4. Like when my daughter wanted to take my car to a different shop than the one I was used to Initially resisting the idea, I then quickly realized I should not be stuck on anything, and I should be open to giving alternatives a try. I gave her the green light. 5. Like when some of my carpool drivers showed up 30 minutes late Instead of being upset, which would have made the ride to work unpleasant, I very deliberately said to myself, “Minoo, you are going to put the fact they are late out of your head and make this a pleasant ride for both you and the driver” And I succeeded, even when there were repeat offenses from the same drivers. Yay….big victory! 6. Like when I went to see the movie Winchester, and the person next to me kept disturbing me as soon as the movie started, by speaking in another language to someone on the other side of her. My initial thought was to tell her “could you please stop talking”, or to move seats in a big huff. But I knew the situation called for something a bit more relational – I turned to her and gently said, “I am not able to follow the movie.” She said, ‘Oh, I am sorry, I am translating for the person next to me, I will stop.” This was when I turned the moment into a real growth opportunity. Moved by her predicament, I turned to her again, gave her a comforting pat on the arm, and said, “It’s okay, go ahead and translate, I think I can manage”. And I really meant it. She did not take me up on it. But if she had, I had made up my mind to put her needs ahead of mine. 7. Like when my former boss (from my previous assignment) called me at 10 p.m. one night, to discuss a technical problem she was facing, and to find out my availability to come in to help her with it. I woke up in the middle of that same night with the perfect solution for solving the problem – an absolutely sure shot. My initial thought was I should not give it away for free; I should get some paid hours out of it. But once again, I sensed I should turn this into a growth opportunity. So I did. The next morning, I texted her the solution. I gave it away for free. She was very touched and grateful, because it was the perfect solution, and she told me “Minoo, I will give you full credit for it when I share it with the team.” And that was enough for me. 8. Like when I overcame my shyness to invite my daughter her boyfriend to have lunch with me and my coworkers, even though I didn’t know my coworkers very well I overcame whatever shyness and awkwardness I felt, and just made it happen. And I am glad I did. 9. When my daughter called me a drama queen My daughter was taking my car to go somewhere, and I said, “Watch the gas gauge – the car is low on gas and you don’t want to run out” When she came back, she said “Mom, you are such a drama queen. There was more than a quarter tank in the car.” I bit my tongue and did not say anything, even though I did not like her calling me that. I waited for another completely suitable and different occasion to tell her to avoid using labels like that. 10. One last example – saying yes to something I have never tried before Sometimes managers will ask me to take on a completely different project from what I am used to in my job. I have to squash the initial “no, I can’t do that” that bubbles up. In doing so, I have been able to accomplish some wonderful new things, such as developing a Team Sharepoint at one of my assignments. There – those are 10 situations I turned into growth opportunities. Now it’s your turn. How many situations did you turn into growth opportunities? Can’t think of any? Don’t worry. Give yourself a goal. How about this one – tell yourself, “I will turn at least 10 situations into growth opportunities in the next year” Don’t be surprised of how proud you will be of yourself at the end of it. Don’t be surprised to experience very different outcomes. As soon as each challenging event has blown over, write what the outcome was, and what it would have been, had you reacted in your characteristic way. It will convince you that you are on the right track and motivate you to keep turning situations into growth opportunities. That's my plan. I hope it's yours too!

Do people work best alone?

Usually, but not always.

Where creative thinking is required, sometimes, two heads are better than one.

Minoo Jha

 · 4y

How often do you find yourself thinking ‘two is better than one’?

Hi, You asked, How often do you find yourself thinking ‘two is better than one’? Every now and then. And wistfully. Because some of my best work - and most wonderful output - has come about, because another person was involved. In successful partnerships, as in successful marriages, one plus one does not equal two, but an exponential amount more. Having the right co-pilot, spouse, or mentor can make all the difference to what you achieve. My Toastmasters experience is a good example. In 2003, I joined Toastmasters. I was lucky enough to be mentored by someone, who was not just very experienced at public speaking, but incredible at mentoring as well. Thanks to her feedback and input, I completed my CTM in a year. Moreover, all of my speeches were big hits. Other aspiring speakers would come up to me after my speeches. They would want to know the secret behind my speaking ability. My mentor had a big part to play in it. I decided her contribution to my success shouldn’t go unrecognized. So after I completed my CTM, I wrote a speech dedicated to her, and what she had done for me. Want to guess what it was called? When One Plus One Does Not Equal Two.

If you involve another person in your work, you can:

Come up with ideas together.

Have them look at your ideas, and tell you what they think about your ideas, and how you can improve upon those ideas.

Use their help as an editor, or sounding board.

Have them look at how you plan to present your ideas to someone else, and get their thoughts on how you can improve your presentation.

Have them do some of the work, and learn what they can do, so you can use their help whenever you need it. 

Take on more projects, or work.

Take on projects with collaborating in mind. 

When author Marie Benedict decided to write a historical novel about J.P. Morgan’s personal librarian, she decided she needed to find an author who could co-write the book with her, and do full justice to the "librarian", the subject of her novel.

Marie's publishing agent referred a lady whose name was Victoria Christopher Murray.

Victoria Christopher Murray, was an author of 20 books, who had never collaborated with another author to write a book.

But after reading the proposal for 'The Personal Librarian", she decided to do it.

The jointly written book hit the shelves a year later.

Marie Benedict & Victoria Christopher Murray

Co-authors Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray bring to life the elusive story of one of the most influential librarians in history.

https://www.bookpage.com/interviews/26383-marie-benedict-victoria-christopher-murray-fiction/

It is up to each of us to realize, when working with someone else will be good for us.

Sometimes, we can be too independent for our own good.

Our unwillingness to involve other people, can cost us quality, efficiency, speed, growth, and even artistry.

Above all, it can cost us opportunities to produce a larger, and more substantial quantity of work, and cost us the satisfaction and credibility that we might gain.

Here is one author, who understood that well, and has collaborated with many people.

 'Pattersoning' .  Know when it's right for you.

James Patterson - Wikipedia

American author (born 1947) James Patterson Born James Brendan Patterson ( 1947-03-22 ) March 22, 1947 (age 77) Newburgh, New York , U.S. Alma mater Manhattan College Vanderbilt University Genre Mystery , young adult fiction , thriller , comedy , realistic fiction , romance , science fiction , fantasy Notable works Alex Cross series Women's Murder Club series Maximum Ride series Michael Bennett series Middle School series I Funny series Spouse Susan Patterson ​ ( m. 1997) ​ Children 1 Website www .jamespatterson .com James Brendan Patterson (born March 22, 1947) is an American author. Among his works are the Alex Cross , Michael Bennett , Women's Murder Club , Maximum Ride , Daniel X , NYPD Red , Witch & Wizard , Private and Middle School series, as well as many stand-alone thrillers, non-fiction, and romance novels. Patterson's books have sold more than 425 million copies, [1] and he was the first person to sell one million e-books . [2] [3] In 2016, Patterson topped Forbes 's list of highest-paid authors for the third consecutive year, with an income of $95 million. [4] His total income over a decade is estimated at $700 million. [5] In November 2015, Patterson received the Literarian Award from the National Book Foundation . [6] He has donated millions of dollars in grants and scholarship to various universities, teachers' colleges, independent bookstores, school libraries, and college students to promote literacy. [7] Early life [ edit ] James Patterson was born on March 22, 1947, in Newburgh, New York , the son of Isabelle ( née Morris ), a homemaker and teacher, and Charles Patterson, an insurance broker. [8] [9] The family was working-class and of Irish descent. [10] Patterson graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in English from Manhattan College and with an M.A. in English from Vanderbilt University . [11] Patterson was a PhD candidate at Vanderbilt [12] when he took a job as an advertising executive at J. Walter Thompson . [11] After Patterson retired from advertising in 1996, [13] he devoted his time to writing. [14] Patterson later said that his greatest influence was probably Evan S. Connell 's 1959 debut novel Mrs. Bridge . [12] In 1976, Patterson published his first novel, The Thomas Berryman Number. The novels featuring his character Alex Cross , a forensic psychologist formerly of the Washington DC. Metropolitan Police and Federal Bureau of Investigation who now works as a private psychologist and government consultant, are his most popular and the top-selling U.S. detective series of the 2010s. Patterson has written more than 200 novels since 1976. [15] Patterson has had more than 114 New York Times bestselling novels, [16] and holds The New York Times record for most #1 New York Times bestsellers by a single author – 67 – which is also a Guinness World Record . His novels account for one in 17, roughly 6%, of all hardcover novels sold in the United States; in recent years, Patterson's novels have sold more copies than those of

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Patterson#:~:text=Patterson%20works%20with%20a%20variety,Ledwidge%2C%20and%20Peter%20de%20Jonge.

How many rebrands have you gone through in your personal journey?

I have gone through personal rebrands, multiple times during my personal journey.

When I got my first advertising copy job, I went from ‘a teenager who was fooling around with a guitar, and a few lighthearted newspaper submissions’, to “a person with a steady job”.

Each time I quit a job, I left an impression of “someone who was impulsive and temperamental”.

Each time I found another job, I rebranded myself as “someone who can land on her feet”, or "someone who was exceptionally lucky", depending on your point of view.

When I started my creative hot shop, Purple Patch, I rebranded myself as “someone who was on an entrepreneurial journey”.

When I moved to America, and learned to cook, drive, do laundry, parent, make new friends, take up an admin assistant job, and then a commissions analyst job, I rebranded myself as “someone who is adaptable, willing to learn, and had the humility to start at the bottom, and build a professional and social circle from scratch again.”

When I became a freelancer in my field, I rebranded myself as “someone who can handle ups and downs in income, and loss of benefits such as medical insurance and paid vacation, just for the freedom to work for different companies, and to be my own boss."

When I decided to drop health insurance, and to take charge of my health outside of the insurance system, (details of which you can read about here), I rebranded myself as someone who was “gutsy”,  “foolish”, or both.

When I joined Toastmasters to become a better public speaker, and gave a Money Workshop at my daughter's elementary school, I rebranded myself, as "someone who was able to get over a fear of speaking, and to use my public speaking skills to serve."

When I started my blog, I rebranded myself as “someone who loves to share my thoughts and inspirations."

When my daughter got a dog, I rebranded myself as a "dog-obsessed" person, for the 2nd time in my life.

When I went low-carb...

When I started going to church, after being an atheist…

When I learned to meditate…

When I started answering Quora questions…

The rebranding goes on.

Your turn...

How many rebrands have you gone through in your personal journey?