7 Things to Avoid if You Aspire to be a Technical Leader

If your goal is to secure a leadership position, there are several qualities you should exhibit. These include having a can-do attitude, being a team player and role model, consistently performing your primary duties at a high standard, initiating valuable projects, effectively managing your team's performance, and achieving more with less or with the resources you have been given.

Here are seven things to avoid If you're striving for a leadership position, it's important to steer clear of certain behaviours:

1. If you tend to be introverted and hesitant to express your creativity. It's important to remember the value of clear communication. Even if you prefer to stay quiet or straightforwardly explain things, it's worth considering that those around you may be interested in hearing your unique perspective. Don't underestimate the importance of your point of view.
2. If you are an extrovert who tends to talk in circles instead of getting straight to the point, people may lose interest in your words. It's important to communicate your message clearly and concisely. Use bullet points to organise your thoughts and focus on your main points. This will help ensure that your message is heard and understood by others.
3. Not taking feedback and criticism graciously, dwelling on it, and even being difficult to move on. It's worth considering how much courage it took for the person to give you this feedback, as it's not an easy thing to do. They're likely providing you with feedback that you may not want to hear, and they probably don't want to do it either. However, if you value their feedback and care about their opinion, it's important to learn to respect their perspective and even ask them for tips on how to improve.
4. Not taking ownership when making mistakes, learning from them and improving. This doesn't mean taking the blame for someone else's errors but rather taking ownership of your own work and the work of your team. You demonstrate strong leadership skills by showing the courage to admit when you've made a mistake, trying to fix the problem, and striving to improve.
5. Feeling intimidated by people wanting the job, stopping adding value and improving. It can be daunting when others are competing for your job, causing you to feel like you're not contributing and unable to improve. However, this mindset can be detrimental to your effectiveness as a leader. It's important to remember that you have unique qualities that brought you to your current position. It may be time to seek a new challenge if your insecurity bothers you.
6. Not talking to your potential boss that you want the job and are hardly seen to make an impact or do more to demonstrate that you exceed expectations. Ensuring your potential boss knows you're interested and capable is important if you want a particular job. This doesn't mean you should pretend to be someone you're not - humility is essential. Rather, you should demonstrate that you're skilled, reliable, and eager to take on new challenges. By doing so, you'll stay on your boss's radar and be top of mind when opportunities arise. It's also good to express your interest in the job directly to your boss, as this shows confidence and readiness to take on new responsibilities.
7. As a leader, you are making it about you but not your team or how you look after them and unleash their potential. Suppose you are a leader or acting. Focusing on your team and their potential is important rather than just yourself. Your job is to help your team succeed; as the saying goes, their success is your success. A skilled leader knows that it's not all about them but about the team's overall performance, organisation, and department.

Many other examples could be added to the list. However, those can be used as your starting points. The main thing is that you can create happiness and positivity whenever you are, give massive value and make an impact.