You take a lesson from Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company. He said…

“You don’t have to hold a position in order to be a leader.”

This is SO true.

Leadership is: understanding what’s going on, figuing out what needs to happen and working with people to make it happen.

You can do this wherever you are in the hierarchy. You don’t need a senior role, fancy title or group of people you line manage.

If you are the person in your team who recognises an issue, works out what needs to happen and figures out how to talk about it with your colleagues (or your boss) and move things forwards… you’re leading.

That’s how you build a track record of leadership without having a formal management position. Imagine you’re the boss, try to think like the boss, identify problems and opportunities, and figure out what to do about them.

Do that two or three times and you’re building your CV, and creating stories for job interviews!