Part Three

Get Curious about the World Around You

NOW THAT YOU’VE ACQUIRED some new leadership skills, it’s time to branch out and expand your horizons. Developing yourself as a leader also means stretching your point of view and seeing beyond the borders of your office (and company). The world is shrinking, but you need to broaden your perspective. As you move up the ladder in your organization, you’re going to be expected to see the world through a much wider lens. And if you think your company is going to do this for you, think again. You need to do this for yourself.

Let’s start with your general business acumen. How current are you with new developments in your field? Are you proactive, or do you make do with the latest ideas that happen to fall into your lap? Do you have a firm grasp of your organization’s strategy? Do you know what people do in other parts of the company? How about your competitors: Do you know what they’re up to? Just imagine if you were asked to give a ten-minute presentation this afternoon on your company’s top five competitors and their comparative strengths and weaknesses. Would you be prepared or would you be afraid of embarrassing yourself? C’mon, you’re a leader in the firm—surely you might be expected to know this kind of stuff. What about looking beyond your industry: What’s happening in organizations that look nothing like yours? What can you learn from them? Get creative, and tap into your supplier or vendor contacts, or reach out to your vast network to find and share these best practices. What’s that? You don’t have a vast professional network? Then it’s time to build one, don’t you think? Are you working the social networks on the Internet or attending conferences and seminars to expand your worldview?

How about learning about cultures other than your own? If you don’t have people of different nationalities working for you now, you probably will soon. While you’re at it, take a deep interest in your current team; get to know them on a deeper level. That is, unless you enjoy the view from your desk. Then you can probably skip these chapters. I’m sure the company has plenty of leaders who’d be happy to pass you by. After all, it’s only your career!