You are passionate and committed to driving change. This is best achieved through taking on a leadership role, but be prepared: The path to leadership is notoriously challenging. With a proactive approach, however, you can develop a leadership mindset and all the necessary skills long before you score a leadership position.
Below, we’ll detail the many steps on the path to succeeding in a first-time leadership role while detailing the value of a master’s in management degree.
10 Ways Students Can Actively Prepare for a Leadership Role
It takes a lot of time and effort to establish the confidence and skill set needed to succeed as a leader. As such, efforts to build leadership skills should begin years before actually pursuing leadership positions.
College provides the perfect opportunity to begin preparing for future leadership roles. As a student, you will be exposed to a wide range of concepts, allowing you to maintain a manageable pace as you discover the skills and qualities that play into effective leadership. Strategies to help you flex your business management and leadership muscles include:
1. Set Clear Goals for Your Future
What, exactly, do you want to accomplish as a future leader? Vague aspirations to become a leader are unlikely to take you far. Rather, you need to identify why you want to be a leader and in what capacity you hope to lead. These goals will help you determine which college courses to take, which job experiences to pursue, and how to direct your networking efforts.
2. Take on Challenging Projects
Accessible challenges abound in college, particularly as you pursue your master’s degree. Each course will present unique opportunities to learn and grow, but ideally, you will take this to the next level by purposely selecting complex topics or projects to complete as part of your required coursework. This is the perfect time to expand your horizons, as you can get plenty of help and feedback in a lower-stakes environment, where it’s perfectly safe to make (and learn from) mistakes. As you apply your skills through projects or case studies, you will feel better capable of using them in the real world.
3. Embrace Feedback
Constructive criticism is crucial if you want to improve your skills and fulfill your potential as a leader. You can expect to receive a great deal of feedback as you take on leadership roles, but this may feel overwhelming if you haven’t yet learned how to sift through all the opinions and focus on the most relevant and actionable insights. As a graduate student, you can practice this often-overlooked skill. You will receive plenty of feedback from faculty members, but you should also actively seek it out from fellow students.
4. Cultivate a Leadership Mindset
To become an effective leader, you need to learn to think like one; that means viewing problems as opportunities while being humble, decisive, resourceful, and capable of delegation. You don’t need to adopt this mindset all at once. Begin your research to determine how today’s top leaders think and behave by reading their memoirs, listening to their podcasts, and, of course, interacting directly with leaders you respect.
5. Participate in Student Organizations
While college coursework provides a deep dive into the theories that underscore modern leadership, these concepts must also be put into action. Student organizations allow you to do just that by taking on leadership roles. From budgeting to delegation and even marketing organizations and their activities, these experiences will force you to put your skills to work. You will have a lot of fun along the way and may even build friendships that you will value long after you’ve graduated.
6. Take on Internships
Internships provide valuable work experience and networking opportunities within an accessible framework that provides plenty of insights and support. Many internships lead directly to amazing jobs after graduation and even when they don’t, they look amazing on your resume.
7. Seek Mentorship
Every aspiring leader should seek insight and support from a trusted mentor. This could be an instructor, advisor, coach, or work supervisor. No matter who fills this critical role, you can expect to be both challenged and encouraged as your relationship grows. Meanwhile, you will get the real scoop on what it means to be an effective leader.
8. Attend Leadership Seminars and Workshops
In addition to targeted college coursework, consider attending outside seminars or workshops that provide deep dives into topics of interest. These are often hosted by top professional organizations and are excellent networking opportunities. For quick skill development and impactful insights, sign up to attend leadership conferences, where you can participate in several seminars over a few jam-packed and exciting days.
9. Cultivate a Professional Network
As you begin to build connections with instructors, fellow students, and other influential individuals, you will want to be purposeful about how you interact. Your college community could form the basis of a solid professional network, exposing you to many opportunities that would be difficult to come by if strictly reliant on online research. Take the time to practice networking now so it feels more natural down the road.
10. Build Your Personal Brand
Branding is no longer just for organizations. The concept of the personal brand is a big deal across many sectors and can prove especially transformative among aspiring leaders. Personal branding involves an intentional effort to shape how others perceive you, including highlighting the unique skills or qualities that set you apart from others in your field and conveying your values and personality.
Securing a Leadership Position After Graduation
After putting in the work as a graduate student, you will eventually earn your management degree and be ready to take the next step in your leadership journey. At this point, you’ll want to find a position that ignites your passion and allows you to continue growing. Not sure how to get a leadership position or leverage your master’s degree? Follow these suggestions to help you find leadership roles in a business setting.
Join a Growing Company
Do your research to determine which companies provide the best leadership opportunities. Don’t focus merely on the current positions available; find resources to continue developing your leadership skills once you are employed. For example, many employers have excellent mentorship programs, while others provide leadership training seminars or even educational assistance so you can continue to pursue college coursework relevant to your desired leadership role.
Build Relationships
Networking can begin in graduate school, but you should ramp up your efforts after graduation. As you join the workforce and encounter a wider variety of individuals, try to build and maintain relationships with professionals of all kinds.
Add Team Value
Leaders may receive a great deal of respect and autonomy but ultimately, they are still team members. Ascending into leadership is not possible unless you are first a valued and impactful member of a team. You can do your part by taking initiative within your department and revealing that you can be trusted to contribute.
Take Risks
Risk management is a central component of modern leadership. The best leaders do not shy away from risk; instead, they determine which situations warrant risk for a likely pay-off. Start small by taking modest and highly strategic risks to see how they play out. Through careful reflection, you will get a better sense of which risks are worth taking.
Be a Mentor
While every aspiring leader can benefit from working with a mentor, being a mentor is just as valuable. Through the act of mentoring, you will improve your emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills, both of which are vital to success in leadership. Get involved in formal mentorship programs offered by your employer or reach out on your own to help current students or interns.
Use Your Voice
Often, what distinguishes leaders from ordinary professionals is the extent to which they make their vision known. That’s not to say that leaders should drown out other perspectives; in fact, the opposite is true. It’s possible to seek out alternate opinions while also advocating for your ideals and encouraging others to get invested as well. Don’t be afraid to speak up and share new perspectives with team members or current leaders.
Ask for Support
Every leader needs support and the same is true of aspiring leaders. If you need encouragement or advice, don’t hesitate to seek it out. You don’t need to go it alone—in fact, the more comfortable you are with seeking help, the easier it will be to get the support you need as you take on leadership roles. Knowing where to go for support and how to get it is also important, so start doing your research to determine which resources will prove most valuable now and when you eventually score a leadership position.
Delegate Wisely
You may find opportunities to delegate long before you take on a leadership role, but how you approach this will say a lot about how effectively you’ll delegate when you are responsible for bigger and higher-stakes initiatives. If you are asked to handle a project or component of a project, let other team members know how they can contribute.
Even if you aren’t directly responsible for delegating, imagine how you would delegate in various scenarios. Consider which types of team members are best suited to various tasks and observe carefully to see how various divisions of labor impact the overarching team dynamic.
Empower Others
Leaders are all about building others up. Empowering others is possible at all levels of the workplace, and words of encouragement will always be appreciated. Start practicing this skill in all walks of life, including your current place of employment through student organizations, volunteering, and spending time with friends and family members. Determine which strategies are most effective for building confidence and motivation. Put these into practice regularly and enjoy the rewarding feeling of knowing you’ve helped others reach their full potential.
Celebrate Successes
Big or small, milestones call for celebrations. These shouldn’t be limited to professional accomplishments such as promotions or raises, although such accomplishments are certainly worth acknowledging. Other successes should also be recognized. For example, when you complete a major project as a graduate student, treat yourself to some well-deserved relaxation or even a personal gift or a special meal out. You can also offer self-recognition when you receive positive feedback on the job, when you help your team accomplish key objectives, or when you master a concept that previously seemed out of reach.
Expand Your Leadership Skills With a Master’s in Management
As you prepare for your future as a leader, give yourself a head start by enrolling in a targeted graduate program. The Master of Science in Management (MSM) at UTC is an amazing option for elevating your career or even moving into a new field that calls for strong leadership skills. Get in touch to learn more or take the next step and apply today.
