After being promoted to chief psychologist in a large hospital system early in her career, Nadine J. Kaslow, PhD, quickly realized she was in over her head. Faced with supervising longtime hospital employees from multiple disciplines, Kaslow says she made such rookie mistakes as talking over her subordinates and creating rifts among her staff.
"I had a lot of professional growing to do and I needed to do a better job forming a team," she says.
Luckily, Kaslow had a mentor who offered advice on how to nurture a strong team, and things started to change. Among the best advice she received was to work more deliberately to connect with her employees. "I really sat down and listened to people's concerns and tried to address them better," says Kaslow. Eventually, she was so successful at fine-tuning her leadership skills that she served as APA's 2014 president.
Do you want to build your leadership skills, but aren't sure where to start? Here are ways to find leadership experiences and get the most out of them.
Locate an opening
Start within your department, where there are usually opportunities to serve with your school's graduate student association or lead a small committee, recommends Eddy Ameen, PhD, APAGS's assistant director.
Outside school, consider joining local service groups such as the Rotary Club or serving on a board for a volunteer organization, such as Habitat for Humanity or a local food bank, he says.
Students can also serve as APAGS representatives, lead a student committee for an APA division or ask their state psychological association how they can get involved, says Kaslow — she has served as president of APA Divs. 12 (Clinical), 29 (Psychotherapy) and 43 (Family).
Join email Listservs to keep abreast of opportunities and tell your advisors and peers you want to volunteer, says Jennifer Doran, past chair of APAGS. "People are always looking for motivated people to get involved," she says.
Be persistent
APAGS Chair Christine Jehu, PhD, applied for several leadership positions during her doctoral program and was rejected by all of them until she secured a position as an APAGS convention committee member. "You're going to get a bunch of rejections before something sticks," she says. Working for that committee inspired her to run for APAGS chair the following year.
Sometimes, in fact, it's the seemingly small volunteer positions that lead to greater opportunities later on. Before becoming APA's president, Barry Anton, PhD, says he had humble beginnings "stuffing envelopes" at his state psychological association. "Pretty soon I was on a committee working on legislative stuff," he says. "But you have to be persistent and go for it because you never know."
It can also take time to feel comfortable enough to take the reins. "It's nerve-wracking to put yourself out there," says Anne Klee, PhD, president of APA's Division 18 (Psychologists in Public Serviceopens in new window), who says she is more of a "behind-the-scenes kind of person" who had to grow into her leadership position. She took incremental steps to get involved: She first learned how the division worked as a member, then served in small leadership roles on committees. Seven years later, she ran for president. By becoming an expert on the organization first, Klee says she feels confident now when making decisions for the membership.
Learn from others
Good leadership skills evolve over time, says Ameen, and are shaped and molded by feedback from mentors and others. "Recognize that as an emerging leader, you probably don't have all the skills and all the wisdom that you need to do the job flawlessly," he says. "Don't presume that [you] don't need any mentorship or shaping along the way."
Kaslow suggests that students look for mentors who know how to strike a balance between teamwork and independent decision-making in their leadership roles. Study leaders who are able to "make decisions with the team, but also have the courage to make decisions on their own when that's needed," she says.
Another important quality in a mentor is diplomacy. "Good leaders invite others into the conversation and build alliances and bridges between seemingly disparate entities," Ameen says. Klee learned by observing the board members of a campus service group she served with as an undergraduate student representative at Columbia University. The executive director taught her how a board worked and how to run a meeting. "I got to see the bigger picture of what was happening in a nonprofit organization," Klee says.
Find a balance
The first question students should ask themselves before taking on a new role is: Am I going to have the time to dedicate to this particular role? "When people take on way too much, they can't do anything well," says APAGS past chair Emily Voelkel, PhD.
To avoid getting overwhelmed, tackle one opportunity at a time while you're learning, says Kaslow. "You get more credibility if you take on less and accomplish it," she says. Being strategic about your time and considering what matters the most to you is a good way to start prioritizing your time. "I try to really prioritize what is manageable and where I think I can have the biggest impact and do the most good," says Doran.
There are also varying levels of involvement — such as the number of meetings and the amount of time and travel commitments — that are required of different types of positions within organizations. Where some positions can be high demand and have multiple meetings a year, some committees only meet twice a year.
"There are going to be different times when you're going to have to invest in different things," says Voelkel. Be sure to consider what your time constraints are, what you are willing to invest in and don't try to do everything, she says.
Work with the team
A mistake that many junior people make, Kaslow says, is making dramatic changes before they really understand an organization. "It's easier to change if you work with the system, rather than fight the system," she says. To avoid that mistake, Anton says, do your research and talk to people within the group and know what their vision is.
And once you're in your role and looking to start leading, remember to be collaborative, says Kaslow. "A good leader can help the group develop a vision to move forward together," she says. Collaboration can sometimes mean working with other perspectives and being a good listener, says Anton. "You can agree to disagree without being disagreeable," he says, while honoring the different experiences and perspectives of other group members.
Ask for input
Finally, setting up a way to receive feedback and evaluations from supervisors is a must, Kaslow says. "Let senior people help you," she emphasizes. That isn't always easy for people to do, says Jehu. "A huge lesson for me was ask for help," she says.
By asking for help and taking advice, Jehu says that today when she leads a team she is "constantly evaluating who I am as a leader. What am I bringing to the table? Where are the areas I need to grow, and then seeking out support in those areas."