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It is widely believed that only mid-to-senior professionals need leadership skills to fulfil their responsibilities. But that is not true. Leadership is not limited to one’s position or experience. Over the last few years, it has undeniably become an important skill to master, especially for early career professionals.
Today, candidates in their first job also need to display leadership skills to lead projects and teams, grab opportunities, fast-track their growth and set the foundation for a rewarding career path.
Leadership as a crucial skill for freshers
Karthikeyan G, Senior Director-Platform Engineering, Ascendion, a provider of AI-first software engineering services, says leadership reflects one’s ability to lead, collaborate and solve problems. Demonstrating initiative and eagerness to tackle challenges is key. Such an attitude shows leadership qualities, making the candidate an asset. Freshers who show these skills become a valuable asset.
Many freshers of this generation are natural-born leaders, says Ravi Tangirala, Head of MassMutual India, a GCC of MassMutual US. “At MassMutual India, the average age of our workforce is 20-25 years. Despite their young age, I’m continually impressed with their foresightedness, confidence and determination.”He says leadership as a skill is not about asserting dominance or belittling anyone; instead, it is about being a team player and achieving goals by playing on each other’s strengths. The young minds know exactly how to take everyone along by mixing flexibility and a strategic mindset, he says.
Freshers might encounter some challenges
Experience and exposure to leadership provide valuable lessons that help a person become a good leader. But freshers would be lacking in these.
Another main challenge they would have to face is peer perception, says Karthikeyan. Besides, freshers may struggle to adapt to diverse leadership styles and understand organisational dynamics. Overcoming these challenges is essential for effective collaboration and growth in professional environments, he adds.
Like anyone entering a new job, it can be a challenge for freshers also while experiencing a difficult work situation or a setback. They might also struggle with constructive feedback, says Tangirala, especially when they are trying to emerge as leaders in their very first job. However, what they lack in experience, they can make up using enthusiasm, confidence and a willingness to learn.
He says organisations can also lend help to break the barriers and support freshers in taking the lead. “At MassMutual India, teams are provided with ample opportunities to participate, deliberate, share and discuss ideas, best practices, and inculcate new learnings. By providing internships to students, we also give them grounds to prove their mettle. They are treated like employees and enjoy many benefits that full-time employees get. This instils confidence, empowers them, and makes them reflect positively on their experience,” he adds.
Sure-shot ways to demonstrate leadership qualities
Experts say there are some strategies that freshers can implement to strongly present their leadership potential and prepare themselves for greater responsibilities and better growth opportunities.
To begin with, they advise young minds to not only approach every workplace challenge with a problem-solving mindset but actively step forward to take greater responsibilities. At the same time, communicating effectively and advocating for active collaboration and relationship-building within teams can definitely help draw attention to your abilities.
Another important piece of suggestion the experts have is “mentor shadowing” — which is a great way to learn leadership skills in a real-world setting from an expert. Most importantly, networking with industry veterans and expressing the willingness to learn from them can make it easier to thrive in any industry, they add.
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