Promote Yourself by Dan Schawbel

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    Â Â 7. Be fair—give everyone a shot and give everyone credit
    Â Â 8. Be well organized and have the ability to delegate tasks
    Â Â 9. Deal well with others—understand conflict resolution and be sensitive to the emotions of others
    10. Have the confidence to take risks
    11. Work well under stress
    12. Recognize new opportunities as they arise
    13. Be able to craft and articulate messages to an audience
    14. Have a relentless work ethic and a never-give-up mentality
    15. Inspire greatness in others
    16. Be competent—to understand everyone else’s role and still be an expert in your own
    17. Be able to ask the right questions, find the right answers, and make good decisions
    18. Be humble—don’t take credit for everything
    19. Take personal accountability for the success of your team
    20. Have good communication skills
    I often find that looking at a list isn’t as effective as a good, real-world example. And because everyone defines leadership a little differently, I want to give you an opportunity to hear from managers themselves what they’re looking for. Megan Cherry, a College Relations Recruiter at Tyson Foods, is looking for young people who are “very professional, very mature, very good at delegation, but very good about knowing where your breaking point is and giving praise where praise is due.” Brian Pototo, Director of Global Talent Acquisition at Brocade, told me, “I have three Millennials on my team who impress me on a regular basis with their enthusiasm, dedication, and commitment to their work and our team.” And PepsiCo’s Paul Marchand says, “We look for leaders who have integrity, are collaborative, and are constantly curious and challenging. Those who see new opportunities, who are adaptable, and who show flexibility will see many doors open throughout their careers.” And James Wisdom, Second Vice President of Integrated Marketing at insurance giant Aflac, looks for “willingness and the energy to embrace the unknown and solve a puzzle, organized thinking, and the capability and pluck to ask the right questions to deconstruct what may appear impenetrable.”
    As I said earlier, becoming a leader is a great way to build your brand and accelerate your upward path through your company. Good managers know that good leaders are the future of the organization, and they’ve always got their eyes open for talent. Develop the skills that are most in demand and you’ll get noticed more. And you’ll never get anywhere if you don’t get noticed.
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    The Difference Between Leaders and Managers
    As we discussed in the previous chapter, workers in older generations were often promoted based on seniority and number of years spent at the company. But in today’s workplace, where everything has to be learned and everyone is expendable, seniority-based promotions are pretty much a thing of the past. Respecting your boss, however, is definitely not a thing of the past. He or she has experience and juice within the company—both of which can help you advance your career.
    At the same time, while the words manager and leader were once used interchangeably, the definitions have changed. Not all managers are good leaders and not all leaders are good managers. In general, mangers are more operations- and goals-based—making sure the trains run on time, that things go according to plan, that targets get met and budgets don’t get blown. Leaders are more forward-thinking and innovative, asking “Where do we go from here?” or “Who else do we need on our team to be able to get to the next level?”
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    How to Lead Your Team Members So They’ll Support You
    Want to be a great leader? Want to accomplish great things quickly and efficiently? Of course you do. Well, it all starts with your team. The better you know them, the easier it will be to motivate them. And the more motivated they