There are, fortunately, a great number of different types of people in the world, all with different strengths and naturally, their own individual weaknesses. Some people, for example, are content to work for a company with a clear hierarchical structure at its core and thrive in being tasked with different jobs and completing them to a high standard.
Others, however, are natural-born leaders and again, quite naturally, rise to the top in terms of being more of a leader than a follower. So, with that in mind, if you are currently working in a vocational profession, such as teaching, healthcare, or the emergency services, and are looking to move into more of a leadership role, then you have certainly come to the right place.
Here, for your information and of course reading pleasure, are 5 of the top leadership roles in vocational professions and information on how to get there from your current position.
Top 5 Leadership Styles
Regardless of the industry you either currently work in or else are hoping to move into in the near future, the skillsets and personality attribute required to be a competent, successful, and effective leader are fairly universal across the proverbial board.
There are essentially 5 primary types of leadership and it is worth pointing out that it is entirely likely that leaders you know within your own personal and professional life often use a combination of two or more different leadership styles at the same time.
The 5 key leadership styles are as follows:
Democratic Leadership
The most accessible and even, some would argue, the relaxed leadership style of all is that of democratic leadership, whereby most questions and issues are discussed within the team, and feedback is actively encouraged.
A deep-seated belief in those underneath them in the hierarchical structure in terms of their potential is another common attribute of those who gravitate to a more democratic style of leadership.
Coaching Leadership
Team leaders and managers who use coaching leadership techniques are those people who are naturally drawn to younger employees, or else those employees who seem to be struggling.
Coaching leaders take such people firmly under their proverbial wing and often spend a great deal of their time and energy, on both a personal and professional level, to help develop the individual employee.
Affiliative Leadership
Essentially, those who elect to adopt an affiliative leadership style are those bosses and managers who are trusted and respected by each and every one of their employees.
Affiliative leaders work hard to build a communicative and collaborative working vibe and tone across the entirety of their departmental jurisdiction and always strive to validate and praise individual employees whenever and wherever appropriate.
Pacesetting Leadership
The term ‘pacesetting leadership’ refers to those types of managers and leaders who essentially employ the parent-to-child teaching method of leading by example.
Pacesetting leaders are usually ambitious, dedicated to not only their career but also those colleagues around them and tend to be particularly outgoing and inspire others around them and underneath them in the company hierarchy to be and do better.
Authoritative Leadership
Perhaps the most common of all leadership roles is that of authoritative leadership, which essentially centers around standing at the front of the company and actively pushing each member of the workforce to work hard to achieve the company’s targets and goals.
Usually, those who lean towards a more authoritative leadership style use information and data to back up their meetings and to justify why their employees need to work harder. In addition, authoritative leaders are usually exceedingly resilient and determined.
1. The Arts
Of all the different fields of vocational careers, the arts is the one in which, frankly, unless you are utterly passionate about your chosen profession, you simply wouldn’t put yourself through the constant pain of rejection and sometimes even genuine heartache.
Like other vocational careers, the most popular of which are discussed in detail below, dedicating yourself to becoming an actor, singer, writer, dancer or other performer is a difficult path to choose indeed.
For many people across the length and breadth of this country and beyond, having forged a successful, or else semi-successful career as an actor, they choose to move to the more stable and often better paid, job roles as a drama, singing, or performing arts teacher.
However, there are alternatively a plethora of both academic and practical-based leadership roles within the arts industry that could be the perfect way to balance a passion for performance with a more traditional working life.
Such leadership roles within the arts include the following:
- Youth Drama Leader
- Stage Manager
- Director
- Business Leader
- Theatre Company Accountant
- Drama School Principal
2. Healthcare
Another incredibly crucial component of ensuring that the quality of life for the people of this country is of the highest standard possible is that of the healthcare sector and frankly, without the dedication, commitment, and sheer tenacity of nurses, coronavirus would have got the better of humanity.
There are a wide plethora of career pathways both in terms of nursing or concerning practicing as a doctor, physician, or a specialist medical professional, all of whom are firmly on the proverbial frontline when it comes to diagnosing, treating, and caring for patients.
However, there are a number of influential, challenging, and ultimately incredibly rewarding non-clinical roles within the medical profession and more specifically, numerous leadership roles. It would be pertinent to point out at this particular conjecture that, if you are considering a leadership role within the healthcare sector, it is strongly advisable to enquire as to the few prestigious postgraduate degrees, such as an Executive Master of Health Administration suited to such a role.
3. Education
The education sector is the only section of the social and economic structure in both this country and internationally which you have to join yourself in order to progress in the professional world of it.
The higher the qualification you successfully acquire, the higher you climb the proverbial ladder in terms of the educational hierarchy and with few exceptions, the higher the qualification, the higher paid the job role.
In the United States & Canada, the educational structure for all children then progressing into a teenager and then adult education follows the following step-by-step plan:
- Early Childhood Education
- Elementary School
- Middle School
- High School
- Tertiary (Post-Secondary) Education
There are a wide plethora of leadership roles involved within the vocational profession of education and education leadership and the primary roles are listed below.
- Board Director
- School Administrator
- Community Outreach Coordinator
- Director of Student Services
- Professor
4. Police Force
Joining the state, or indeed national, police force is often an ambitious child wearing rose-tinted glasses ultimate dream and although there are numerous fabulous reasons to join the police force, it is also a demanding, challenging, often stressful, and occasionally even supremely dangerous career pathway upon which to embark.
Another possible definition of a more vocational career choice, in a way to clarify the difference between vocations and jobs further, is such a career whereby, when you leave the physical workplace, you are never truly ‘off duty.’ This could not be more accurate than when you make the bold and incredibly exciting decision to become a police officer. In addition, the higher you climb the ladder within the police, the more authority you have and the more people you are effectively ‘leading’.
As with the education hierarchy, there is a clear level of authority and ranks in the police force, which follows this basic guide:
Police Technician
Police technicians sit firmly on the entry-level ladder of the force and mainly prepare paperwork for each and every incident report, direct and control the traffic at the scene of an accident, keep members of the public away from a crime scene, and provide general assistance to citizens in need.
Police Officer
Police officers, often alternatively referred to as police patrol officers, are the rank within the police that everyone is most familiar with and are often the ones you will see in and around your local community. Police officers still don’t lead in the sense of leading within their professional working environment, but they are certainly authoritative figures to the general public.
Police Corporal
The third rung on the proverbial ladder is that of a police corporal and once an individual has elected to move to this rank, it is likely they are dedicated to climbing further up the law enforcement hierarchy. Police corporals are leaders of a small team of police officers and police technicians and if a police officer shows particular promise in terms of leadership, they are usually promoted to this rank.
Police Sergeant
The second leadership role within the police force is that of a police sergeant, whose role centers around supervising, training, and disciplining those from ranks below them. As the role of a police sergeant is deeply embedded in management and leadership, it is usually required for a police corporal to serve for at least five years before even applying to become a sergeant.
Police Lieutenant
The role of a police lieutenant in this country is often referred to as ‘middle management’ by those in the know and even though they still take instruction and direction from their bosses, they are responsible for translating such instructions into practical action.
Police Captain
Above the role of police lieutenant is the job of the police captain, who reports straight to the head of the entire police force, the chief of police. From maximizing the effectiveness of community policing to liaising and working with local government, the role of a police captain encompasses all that a leader is and should be.
Chief of Police
At the very top of the proverbial tree is the chief of police, who is always the most senior authority on all matters pertaining to and involving the police force. Usually, a chief of police is elected by government officials and as such high-profile and recognizable leaders, they are also usually more than a little political-minded.
5. Law
Legal careers are, by their very nature and indeed the purpose, always centered around exuding authority and leadership and as referring to the different types of leadership discussed earlier, people working for a law firm are inevitably authoritative leaders (‘bar’ none!)
To work at even the lower levels in the world of law, you are required to possess and moreover display certain skill sets and attributes that suit the industry, including but not limited to, the following:
- Exceedingly strong communication skills and the ability to converse with people from all walks of life
- A natural flair for independence and taking the lead
- Verbal communication skills
- An ability to work easily and calmly under substantial pressure (often from different angles)
- The ability to always take the initiative and ‘think outside the box.’
- A strong commercial awareness
- Deep and extensive knowledge of the law and legal matters
Within a law firm, be that a national and even international company or else a smaller and family-run business, the following hierarchy is always present, and again, the higher one climbs the hierarchy, the more responsibility one has.
The standard leadership hierarchy of a regular law firm is as follows and remember; you have to work hard as the one above before you can apply for the one below.
Records Clerk
Essentially, a records clerk ensures all files and records are organized and kept updated with an average salary of $15.00 an hour.
Legal Secretary
Legal secretaries work in tandem with attorneys and on occasion, paralegals, with an average salary of $47,000.
Paralegal
Paralegals work directly with attorneys and actively participate in helping to prepare trials, with an average salary of $48,000.
Associate Attorney
Associate attorneys are lawyers but on a lower level and work together with the firm’s partners, with an average salary of $78,000.
Senior Associate Attorney
Senior associate attorneys have the same job role as above, yet often oversee trials, projects, and individual tasks of their junior counterparts and have an average salary of $102,000 a year.
Attorney
An attorney is the single individual responsible for representing a client, or clients, in court and is paid approximately $105,000 a year.
