Starting as an intern, I dreamed of leading my own team one day. Shifting from a \u201cdo-er\u201d to a leader, I learned how important it is to live by your values and know your strengths.\u00a0My journey from Project manager to Team leader was a shift in perspective and responsibility. Though I\u2019ve chosen to put on hold my leadership journey, here are some key lessons I learned along the way which hopefully will offer guidance to aspiring leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Moving from being a team member to a leader can feel isolating at first, especially when you\u2019re used to being part of a tight-knit team. Feelings of self-doubt and not being \u201cgood enough\u201d can creep in, so seeking support from a mentor who would understand your journey can make all the difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Overthinking can hold you back from expressing your full potential. So, having honest regular \u201clet\u2019s clear the air\u201d check-ins helps a lot. Never assume, always ask is the golden rule I learned in my early days. Even though the journey feels lonely, no leader is truly alone. You would be surprised to know how many people feel same things but don\u2019t necessarily talk about them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Discover what you are good at and enjoy doing. This role is not just another position to jump in and jump off. Usually it’s a choice for longer journey of continuous development. When you recognize and leverage your strengths, you eventually will need to delegate. Otherwise, you will be hindering your own progress and kinda hold back the growth of others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We all know strategic vision and business goals are vital to any organization. Otherwise, what are we even discussing here? \ud83d\ude00<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, people are the ones who actually contribute to those goals shareholders come up with (it is what it is! :)). <\/em>So, if people are the ones making company revenues and profits happen, why not invest in the growth of your very own people? I believe the “unspoken rule” should exist – each employer to strive and make their people few percent ‘better’ – more professional, more agile, curious and innovative. For me, having personalized growth plans cascaded from strategic company goals proved as most efficient way to lead the team. Then you make it as a private editable shared board of goals between you and your teammate where you check-in during 1:1s, set milestones and track progress.. ahhh music to my ears :)) this is how a structure geekiness sounds like haha<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n I transitioned from a role where I could literally touch my actual work results to a leadership role where most of things are fluid (not really touchable). It is something to get used to. Leader’s achievements become intertwined with their team\u2019s achievements. I recommend redefining what an \u201cachieved result\u201d and \u201csuccess\u201d means for you. Before becoming a leader I never really thought that seeing results is that<\/strong> important to me. Oopsie! <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Determine your niche as a leader – the skill or initiative that sets you apart. Reflect on what initiatives keep becoming yours? What’s the one skill of yours you keep bringing into all your jobs? When you just can\u2019t stand to just observe and have to act – and have an idea where to start? For me, it was always bringing structure, data and people together. Knowing your flagship topic will help you lead with confidence and clarity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Leadership begins with self-awareness and self-care. Nurture your own growth and wellbeing because it directly impacts your ability to motivate and inspire others. You really can’t pour from an empty bucket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Develop a habit of writing. It will help by bringing structure to your thoughts. Start as simple as writing down meeting notes and documenting a freshly agreed new process. It may seem a tedious task at first but it will pay off – and that is a pinky promise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In our lifetime, we dedicate approximately 80,000 hours to work – that is quite a significant portion of life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For all those who aspire to lead, I encourage you to embrace your authentic selves, make self-leadership a priority and recognize the power of your individual strengths and perspectives.\u00a0Keep in mind, your path is uniquely yours and every challenge you face is an opportunity for growth. And don\u2019t you dare believing in what imposter syndrome is trying to tell you – that\u2019s fake news \ud83d\ude00<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Shifting from a “do-er” role to a team leader is totally different experience. Even though imposter syndrome becomes your best friend, leadership role is full of rewarding experiences. However, taking care of yourself as a leader becomes a must have. Otherwise – toodaloo \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":47,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lessons-learned"],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/ninetowhy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1xL-on2QTf90uzseBaIK3xQ.webp",2000,1000,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/ninetowhy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1xL-on2QTf90uzseBaIK3xQ-150x150.webp",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/ninetowhy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1xL-on2QTf90uzseBaIK3xQ-300x150.webp",300,150,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/ninetowhy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1xL-on2QTf90uzseBaIK3xQ-768x384.webp",768,384,true],"large":["https:\/\/ninetowhy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1xL-on2QTf90uzseBaIK3xQ-1024x512.webp",1024,512,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/ninetowhy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1xL-on2QTf90uzseBaIK3xQ-1536x768.webp",1536,768,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/ninetowhy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1xL-on2QTf90uzseBaIK3xQ.webp",2000,1000,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"ramune","author_link":"https:\/\/ninetowhy.com\/?author=1"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Shifting from a \"do-er\" role to a team leader is totally different experience. Even though imposter syndrome becomes your best friend, leadership role is full of rewarding experiences. However, taking care of yourself as a leader becomes a must have. Otherwise - toodaloo :)","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ninetowhy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ninetowhy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ninetowhy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ninetowhy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ninetowhy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/ninetowhy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":50,"href":"https:\/\/ninetowhy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1\/revisions\/50"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ninetowhy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/47"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ninetowhy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ninetowhy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ninetowhy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Find yourself a way to see results<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Identify your flagship topic<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Now say hi to self-leadership<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Write, write, write<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Please be yourself, ok?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n