Show Leadership Before You Ask for the Promotion

A viewer working at a recruitment agency in Germany asked how to become the first person at his company to lead a team. He had been there about a year, was performing well, and expected the company to grow. He wanted to know how to show leadership before he had the position.

My answer was to make his contribution visible in the work that matters to the company. I said, You got to be willing to do things that other people aren't willing to do. That does not mean accepting every task or assuming that long hours alone earn a promotion. It means taking responsibility for difficult work you are qualified to do and following through.

Know what the company needs this week

I suggested asking a supervisor for the first and second most important things they want done this week. Once those are handled, ask what else would make a meaningful contribution. The question is more useful than a vague request for a promotion because it tells you which result the manager actually values.

The next step is to learn the work done by the manager one level above you, and perhaps the level above that. You cannot lead a team well if you have no idea what decisions or constraints its manager faces. Helping those people succeed also gives them a direct view of your judgment. If a role opens later, they can speak to specific work you have done.

I warned the viewer about taking on a project just because it looks hard. If you lack the skills to finish it, it can damage the very reputation you are trying to build. Choose work where you can contribute, ask for support when you need it, and show that the team can rely on you.

A story about expectations

In the recording I described a construction project where a subcontractor's worker started cleaning up earlier than I expected. I had a contract with the subcontractor, including performance terms, and raised the issue with the employer. I was frustrated because I believed the project was losing time.

The story reflects how I felt on that job. It does not tell us everything about the worker’s schedule or contract, and I cannot know where his career went afterward. The useful lesson for someone seeking a lead role is narrower: learn what outcome has been agreed, communicate when expectations differ, and make sure the work you own is completed.

I talked in the video about arriving early and staying late. My point was that people notice when you take the work seriously. In practice, leadership is measured by reliable results and sound judgment, not by a performative number of hours or work outside agreed terms.

Make the next conversation specific

Tell your manager that you want to lead a team. Ask what evidence they would need to trust you with one, and where you can demonstrate it in a current project. Then return with the result and ask for feedback. A clear conversation gives both of you something to assess.

For someone whose main question is pay rather than a team-lead role, I gave a closely related answer in how to ask what contribution would justify a raise. And if you need colleagues beyond your own team to know your work, my discussion of building relationships across a company explains why those connections matter.

The viewer could not force an opening or a promotion. He could learn the job, ask what mattered, do that work well, and make his interest in leading known. That is where I told him to begin.