Significant Career Lesson From An Assistant Director Of Development At University Of California Davis
A significant lesson Ryan has learned is that leadership isn't tied to a position of authority but rather the ability to rally people around an idea, even without being the decision-maker; "leadership at its core is really just if you have an idea that you believe in strongly, can you get people to be on board". This skill of "managing upwards" and advocating for beneficial changes, regardless of role, has proven invaluable in preparing Ryan for supervisory roles and team leadership.
Leadership, Teamwork, Communication, Vision, Career Development
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Ryan Advincula
Assistant Director of Development
University of California, Davis
University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Davis: MBA
Entertainment, Music & Arts, Political Science, American Studies
Education, Nonprofit, Foundations & Grantmaking
Sales and Client Management
Scholarship Recipient, Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School, LGBTQ, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Leadership is about influencing others and gaining support for your ideas, regardless of your position or authority.
2. You can demonstrate leadership by suggesting ideas and effectively communicating their value to others.
3. Practicing upward management and advocating for your team's needs can prepare you for future supervisory roles.
Transcript
What's one lesson you've learned that's proven significant in your career?
One of my key takeaways from working with many successful people, and coming from an early to mid-career stage in my life, is that leadership is something you learn without having to be in a position of power or a supervisory role.
Leadership at its core is really just: if you have an idea that you believe in strongly, can you get people on board? Can you get people to agree with your vision and work with you? That doesn't mean you have to be the person who makes that decision or is in charge of actualizing it.
It could just mean you're suggesting something, and you can really pitch that. That is the core of leadership. If you're doing that from managing upwards, I think that is as hard as it will ever be.
So, in terms of when you want to grow, if you think about supervising people – I supervise a few people, not directly, but in terms of student interns. I work with teams where I might take a leadership role.
I found that I've been most prepared to take that jump because I've been prepared to ask supervisors or leaders for something that would be beneficial to our team, whether or not I would be key to making that decision myself.