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From “A Year of Leadership” – Career Opportunities Podcast with Douglas E. Welch)
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Transcript:
You have more power than you know, if you decide to reach out and take it. Oftentimes I have said before there are people simply abdicating their leadership role. They don’t want to lead. They don’t the responsibility. They don’t want the blame. They…they want to hide in their little office, close the door, and let the world kind of go on around them. Well, that’s fine — and it actually provides and opportunity for you, because when people abdicate their need to lead, you have the ability to step into that vacuum and take much more power than you might typically have.
So how can you do that? Well, one of the first things you can do is take on a faltering project. If you see a project that is failing, for whatever reason, especially if it is failing due to lack of leadership, stand up — take it on. Go to your boss. Go to your boss’ boss. Say, “You know what? I think I can take this project on and make it a success.” And do it. Scary? Of course! You bet! You’re putting your butt on the line, but you know what? You have so much to gain from that opportunity and relatively little to lose. Because, the fact is, oftentimes, large projects that are “off the tracks” have the ability to suck down the entire company. So, what does it matter if you might lose your job if the company itself might disappear?
So look for those opportunities. Look for those projects and opportunities where things are going very badly and step up and take control of them and see what you can do!
Douglas is writer and host of Career Opportunities, a long running column and podcast dedicated to “Helping to Build the Career You Deserve!” Career Opportunities began in 1997 as a magazine column and expanded to a podcast in 2004. Douglas is also a New Media Consultant, Technology and Career Consultant with over 30 years experience in high-tech. You can find all of Douglas’ work at DouglasEWelch.com.
