By: Katie Munroe
Regardless of industry or organization, role or scope of influence, effective leaders possess a stable of qualities which fuel their success. Among these qualities — similar to the other key pillars of the inaugural #FollowFriday conference — is resourcefulness.
Resourceful leaders do their homework. They come prepared for discussions. They identify challenges. They seek answers and offer solutions. They identify opportunities and the path for harnessing the value from those opportunities.
But it’s important to remember that resourcefulness is not a natural-born skill; it’s one that can be cultivated.
Employees who are new to the work-force have the opportunity to demonstrate resourcefulness by researching their new professional home, reading up on the organization’s leadership – including within their own department, meeting with team members to learn the ropes of their roles, and taking stock of how they fit into the larger scheme. By taking the time to understand how the organization is run and by whom, how others deliver on the expectations of their functions, and where they, as a new hire, will be expected to contribute, will ultimately position them well to hit the ground running.
Mid-level professionals looking to grow in their careers can set themselves apart from others vying for opportunities for promotion by avoiding complacency and seeking for new ways to contribute. Those who have built strong resourcefulness muscles will observe how their departments are running, identify hurdles, observe what has worked and what has not, and map out solutions that they can share with senior management. This could be researching strategies for increasing reach of social media efforts or identifying pain points in certain processes that could be clarified with a new project management checklist. It could also be recognizing an overtaxed department leader’s need for someone to assist with agenda development and content for a recurring meeting and proactively gathering the monthly reports to lighten the burden on the leader.
Senior leaders are not exempt. Some of the most effective movers and shakers leverage their networks for best practices, recommendations, and connections – resourceful acts that deliver organizational value, which helps to justify their positions (and sometimes, compensation).
These types of proactive, resourceful behaviors are positively noticed because they help organizations to run more smoothly, waste less time, and harness available resources for efficient and effective solutions.
Not only does being resourceful help you help others. It helps you to:
- build competence;
- build confidence;
- build trust; and
- accelerate your career.
As you prepare to attend the #FollowFriday conference, think ahead about how you can make the most of your time. What you can bring to the table. What you can bring back to your organization. And how being resourceful can help to propel you and those around you, forward.
