Day 11: Ask to be the interim lead
Leadership gaps happen all the time - vacations, parental leave, sudden transitions. Most people wait to be asked. Strategic professionals step up proactively.
𝗔𝘀𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗺 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱 when your manager needs coverage or when teams are in transition.
When you volunteer for interim leadership, you're solving a real business problem while positioning yourself for future opportunities. Andy Hsu did just that when his manager was out on a rotation. That interim role turned into a permanent one and a major step up in his career.
𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁: "I know you'll need coverage while you're out. I'd be happy to step in as interim lead to make sure the team stays on track and nothing falls through the cracks. This would also be valuable leadership experience for me. Would that work for you?"
𝗜𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱: "I want to make sure our team has the support it needs during this transition. I'm ready to step up as interim lead if that would be helpful. What would be most useful for covering the critical responsibilities?"
𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀:
✔ Solves a real business need
✔ Signals leadership readiness
✔ Shows initiative and ownership
✔ Makes your impact visible
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗹𝗹 𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻:
• Strategic decision-making experience
• Cross-team coordination skills
• Priority and resource management
• Mentoring and team guidance practice
𝗜𝗳 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝗮 𝘆𝗲𝘀: Be specific about timeline and expectations. Ask for regular check-ins to get feedback on your performance.
𝗜𝗳 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝘁: Ask what you'd need to develop first, or suggest supporting in a more limited capacity.
𝗣𝗿𝗼 𝘁𝗶𝗽: Even a few weeks of interim leadership gives you concrete examples for promotion conversations and helps you understand what aspects of leadership you want to pursue.
With this kind of proactive career charting you're providing value while testing your leadership readiness.
👍 Liked this post? Follow me on LinkedIn or here on Substack for the remaining posts in this series and more!
✅ Want to get even better at asking? I still have a limited number of seats left in the July 25 cohort of my course. Last cohort of this year! https://maven.com/chaitali-narla/outstanding-tech-career