While most careers to some extent require an aspect of leadership, particularly if you wish to advance to a high level in the ranks, there are those that demand leadership as a key quality. If you aren’t sure about what career you would like to pursue, but you know for certain that whatever you decide to do should put you in the position of a leader, then here are five career options to consider.
1. Law Enforcement
A career in law enforcement is definitely one wherein those who are successful demonstrate leadership in practically everything that they do. From the way that you hold yourself amongst your colleagues, to the way you are required to take control of situations in the community, a career as a police officer would see you utilizing your leadership abilities practically every day.
Furthermore, there are many opportunities for those with natural leadership abilities to rise in the ranks to different areas of command. Taking such a course with your career will require you to fine tune your leadership skills in a more formal setting, however, by means of an advanced degree of some sort.
Applicable programs aren’t difficult to find, though. Consider enrolling in an online degree in leadership specifically tailored to those who are already working in law enforcement offered at Wilfrid Laurier Online to help you become the best leader that you can be.
2. Coaching
Another classic career that requires leadership skills is that of coaching a sport. No matter what level of sport that you choose to coach at, the only way to be successful is to be a good and inspiring leader, in addition to being proficient in the sport that you coach.
Coaching is one of those jobs where you have to be a good athlete, manager, communicator, and leader. When you are working with younger athletes, you need to have the patience of a good leader to be able to work as a teacher and guide to help them achieve their best performances.
As a coach of older athletes or adults, your job is to act as a boss in addition to an instructor. This can be a tough line to walk, but with the right leadership skills, you will all achieve a great deal as a single unit.
3. Military
When you decide to enlist in a branch of the military, you sign on to some major sacrifices. The physical, mental, and emotional demands of this job are not to be understated. One of the characteristics that will carry you through a career in the military is leadership.
When you first enter the military, you will most likely do so at a lower rank. In such a role, you of course need to demonstrate the ability to listen and effectively follow orders. As you become more accustomed to the military life, and particularly if you hope to climb the ranks, you will need to be able to take on more responsibility and act as a leader amongst your peers.
Making a career out of the military can be incredibly fulfilling, but it is also just as demanding. If you are not able to lead, then you won’t be likely to hold a position of command for very long. You need to conduct yourself in such a way that not only earns the respect of your subordinates, but also their trust. The ability to do this effectively comes directly in line with what it takes to be a leader.
4. Teaching
Similar to a career in coaching, being a teacher requires no small amount of leadership skills. Education is a demanding and often under-appreciated job to pursue. Having the responsibility of guiding and instructing a group of young people as they grow and develop is no easy task, and those who are not natural leaders will struggle to do so effectively.
When you are a teacher, you are in charge of your students all day long. This can be a draining scenario in and of itself. Knowing that you have to teach students of varying levels of competency while also maintaining order in your classroom demands that you have excellent communication skills and the confidence to lead.
Leadership skills become even more important if your hope is to rise to the level of administrator at your school. Not only will you need to have established your ability to lead a class and control your students, but you will then need to be capable of leading other educators and offer assistance where they need additional guidance.
The job of an education administrator is certainly not an easy one and it requires patience and empathy. That being said, if you take care to develop your leadership skills then you can be incredibly successful in such a role.
5. Nursing
Many people think of nurses as the type of healthcare professional that is simply meant to follow the instructions of a qualified doctor or physician’s assistant. Nurses do much more than that, however. Much of what they do, in fact, demands that they have the ability to lead as well as follow.
When you are the nurse in charge of a patient, you have to be able to bring them to a good understanding of the situation they are in and the healthcare they will be receiving. At times, this can be an emotional job, but a good leader is well equipped to handle such situations by exhibiting confidence, competency, and compassion.
Furthermore, there are certain roles in the field of nursing that are leadership roles by nature. You might find yourself in charge of a team of nurses that you must manage and coordinate effectively, or you might have more of an administrative role to fulfill. Both positions will also involve their fair share of patient contact as well. The end all take away here is that nurses, as well as leaders of different industries, must be adaptable and wear multiple hats throughout their careers.