5 Careers To Consider If You're A Born Leader

Do you see yourself as a leader? You know the type - we’re talking about your Tommy Pickles, your Optimus Primes or even your TJ’s. No matter what’s in front of you, you’ll take it on and bring your mates or your team along with you. 

If that’s really ringing a bell, have you ever thought about a career that puts leadership at the forefront? A great leader is hard to find, and if you’re willing to give these roles a go, you could find yourself totally thriving: 

Chief Culture Officer

These days there’s been a real shift to looking at office cultures and how they allow people to do the beest work they can. From a Silicon-valley style startup culture, to experimental management styles like worker co-operatives, the right structure, values and behaviours can make or break a company. 

As a Chief Culture Officer, you’re leading the way, setting and reinforcing the values that sit at the very heart of the company. Their job is to oversee everything that’s happening in a business and think about it from an employee perspective. That includes stuff like recruiting, onboarding, training and customer service. They might even look into how meetings are being held, and if there are better ways to work that will increase productivity and keep employees happy.

 A place where people are happy to work translates into good work being done, which means happy customers and more money coming in through the doors. It’s a win-win!

Entrepreneur

Entrepreneurs need vision and willpower in order to succeed, and natural leaders have those in spades. Read any biography of a great entrepreneur and you definitely won’t see smooth sailing on their way to their multi-million dollar empires. You’ll see times of struggle, where everything seems to be going down the gurgler and they have to rally the troops and turn it all around. When it all goes pear-shaped, your business partners and employees will look to you to set the course.

Great entrepreneurs are risk-takers, but they also have a good head on their shoulders. They’re smart enough to assess the situation, find gaps in the market and get in early on trends, but they can also have great analytical skills to know when to get involved and when to sit an opportunity out.

If you’re looking to get the knowledge and skills you need, you might want to check out something like a Diploma of Business Management. 

Project Manager

Are you the kind of person who really dives into a new hobby and tries to rope all of your mates in as well? Do you usually end up organising the group road trips, sorting out the logistics and accommo so you can all have an epic holiday?

Something like a project manager could be a great shout for you. A lot of what goes into the job is pretty much what it looks like on the in - you’re managing projects, right? If you’ve got a natural talent for wrangling people together, keeping focussed on the task at hand and being able to take a zoomed-out perspective when tackling problems, you’d be a great fit. 

Project management happens across all different industries as well, so if you’re great at your job you would expect to work across exciting areas like digital tech, construction, logistics and even working with the government! Courses you could take to build your project management skills and get certified include a Diploma of Project Management. 

Sales Team Manager

Could you sell snow to a ski slope? Honey to a bee? Having the ability to sell something is one of the most versatile skills you could ever have. Whether it’s selling services between businesses, or products straight to consumers, salespeople are everywhere - but they also look to sales team managers to set the way.

If you want to climb the sales ladder, it takes more than just the gift of the gab. You’d be in charge of setting the strategy for how those sales targets get met. You’ll be expected to have an eye for analysis, as you’ll need to know the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the company you’re working for in order to paint the product in the best possible light. Not only that, but key responsibilities often include helping to motivate other team members, or provide coaching or scripts to help them convert that lead into the sale.

It’s a super exciting job that can really take you places! Stepping up to a more senior position like a sales team manager will often involve extra qualifications, such as a Diploma of Leadership Management.

Human Resources Advisor

If you’re the unofficial friendship solver in your group, then something in HR could be just the ticket. Basically HR is the go-between for the leadership and the rest of the employees. They’ll often be the ones speaking on behalf of the leadership, or making some big calls themselves about things like setting salaries and leadership structures, as well as making sure that the company is obeying the law to the letter when it comes to employee relations. 

On the employee side, the most important thing they do is active listening. Being able to be in tune with what’s going on at the ground level is vital, whether that’s helping to resolve disputes, cut red tape or to reward someone doing great work!

A great HR advisor can make-or-break a business, which is why it’s such an in-demand career. If you’re a great communicator and not afraid to make tough decisions, this is definitely a great fit for you. One pathway to get started would be a Diploma of Human Resource Management.

If you’re looking to get the certifications you need to become a full-time leader, you should defs check out Foundation Education. They offer all of the qualifications we’ve mentioned in this article, with tailored and flexible options from industry experts, giving you the resources you need to thrive out in the real world. Take a look at their site over here.