I read a very interesting article in this fall’s issue of The Strategist and it’s really stuck with me. The article, “From manager to leader: The nine action steps to get you to a leadership role,” asserts that “…making the leap from manager to leader may be the most important move in one’s PR career” and lists nine actions we can all take to become true leaders.

1. Articulate the values. By what standards does your organization live? Here at Dittoe, our mantra can be taken off of the blackboard in co-founder Liza Dittoe’s office: Do what you love. Love what you do. We live by this “golden rule” and not only does it make our job more fulfilling and fun, but we are – as a whole – very successful because of it.
2. Create a vision. Real leaders are constantly looking beyond tomorrow to visualize what their company can be and where it is headed. Once you have your vision of “after tomorrow” it’s necessary for the entire team to buy into it – so it becomes our vision. This is crucial for PR firms during such uncertain economic times. Without a vision, how can you set goals and objectives – how can you measure success?
3. Build trust. People don’t follow other people because their title is president or CEO – they follow them because they trust them. If you can’t trust your leader, there’s no buy-in to the company’s vision.
4. Provide inspiration. People follow people who inspire them. Be inspiring. If you think about it, three body parts are used by employees on a regular basis: heads, hearts and feet. If a leader can cause people to think about the possibilities and imagine what we could do together, feel the passion to attain it and then act to make it happen – then they are truly successful.
5. Act courageously. It’s one thing to think or say “this is where we are going” – it’s another thing to make it happen.
6. Share the credit. Let your team share the spotlight.
7. Establish empathy and listen. I can’t tell you how important this is. Who wants to work for someone who never listens to your concerns or suggestions? A good leader understands his or her team’s motivations, worldviews and aspirations.
8. Be open. There are two ways a leader can do this: 1) be approachable, and 2) admit failures. No one knows everything, and trust can be gained when leaders admit they don’t have the answer. After all, we’re all human.
9. Empower your followers. Learn when to let go. There are more leaders to be found in your team. There’s no such thing as an organization of one. Encourage followers to create their own vision.

For more details on what to do once you become a leader, check out the whole article by Ken Jacobs online. I think you’ll find it just as interesting and inspiring as I do.