This is a guest blog post by Christian Knutson, P.E., PMP...leader, entrepreneur and author.   He's giving away a special webinar for Engineering.com readers at his blog, The Engineer Leader.  See the end of this post where you can to find out how to get it.

It may seem an obvious point, however, it’s worth repeating.  Firms want leaders.  Why?  Because leaders are self-sufficient, leaders generate value, and leaders make things happen.  The challenge that many face in an organizational environment is the ease of abdicating the leadership role to the work team lead, the supervisor, or the principals.  Don’t.  This is the first step towards making yourself replaceable.  It’s the leader who’s not replaceable, who will be sorely missed when let go, and who will be quickly hired when seeking a new position.

Firms want leaders because they are the special element that makes a project succeed against all odds.  They are the ones who eek out a profit when the percentages say it isn’t feasible.  They are the special few who can organize a project team, focus them on milestone’s and keep the stakeholders and owners placated (not necessarily happy…at least appeased).  Firms also want leaders because:

Leaders Take a Position.  It may seem contrary to employment logic to take a position when you’re not the supervisor or a firm principal, but that’s what firms want.  Someone who has the confidence to take a position on an issue, even when the issue is contentious.  Confidence breeds success and it also is contagious.  That’s good for any firm.

Leaders Build Consensus.  Firms want consensus builders and leaders always deliver.  There isn’t a project that’s been built where some level of consensus wasn’t required.  In every situation, there was a leader involved.

Leaders Take Care of Their Teams and Their Organization.  Leaders take responsibility for their team and their organization’s best interest.   Because of this, firms naturally gravitate towards individuals who are leaders.  The upside of this is that the teams deliver substantially more value to the firm because they know they’re being taken care of.  Take care of your team and look out for the organization and you start to become a linchpin.

Leaders are Dependable.  Firms know that leaders will deliver the goods, regardless the situation, regardless the challenges.  Others will generate excuses or look to toss someone else under the bus.  That’s not the leaders M.O.

Leaders Will Do What It Takes, Always.  They’ll also do what’s right.  Firms aren’t looking for individuals interested in doing what it takes to make it right for the individual.  They want someone who’s looking out for the firm…and themselves.  You can do both, and when you do, everyone wins.

Leadership starts with the decision by you to take control of your life; your perceptions, your expectations, and your product.  Firms seek those select individuals who are in control, so it’s worth the effort to evaluate where you stand in the leadership realm. 

“Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results not attributes.”  Peter Drucker

Christian Knutson, P.E., PMP is a leader, civil engineer, and author.  He’s an accomplished professional specializing in A/E/C work internationally and author of The Engineer Leader, a recognized blog on leadership and life success for engineers and professionals.