ALPSP Pathways to Leadership - In conversation with Pooja Aggarwal

In conjunction with the ALPSP, the MD of our executive search division – Abigail Barclay – chaired a webinar which explored the pathways into leadership within scholarly publishing. Abigail interviewed the esteemed Pooja Aggarwal – Director of Professional and Academic at Bloomsbury – to learn more about Pooja’s own pathway into leadership, her reflections on that, things she has learned along the way and what she wishes she had known earlier. The discussion was designed to leave the audience empowered with ideas and knowledge about how to pursue their own leadership career in a way that works for them, and to empower others to do so. 

Something that Pooja is particularly passionate about, a passion that is echoed by us here at Inspired and also by the ALPSP, is the recognition that not all paths into leadership need to be in a straight line upwards within a division. In fact, by arriving at a leadership destination via a diverse range of departments, sectors or experiences, can be hugely beneficial. Fresh perspectives and the space to empower those you’re managing are two brilliant strengths of coming into a leadership position from a more ‘wiggly’ route. If you want to read more on hiring at the executive level from other sectors, please do download our white paper on the topic here: https://www.inspiredselection.com/insights/insights/inspired-search-white-paper-making-executive-appointment-publishing-hiring 

The conversation covered so much ground and the recording will be available via the ALPSP but for now, here are our Top 10 takeaways: 

1. You don’t have to have always wanted to be a leader to be a good one. Some people grow up with that ambition, but if you’re anything like Pooja, it will happen more naturally as you develop your own knowledge and passion for business and begin to be ambitious to deliver more for your organisaiton outside of your original remit.
2. Good managers can be good leaders but it’s not a given. One can manage people well but being able to present a vision to your team and share the journey with them is key to great leadership and something quite different.
3. You can showcase your leadership skills even without the title; whether it be sharing your ideas, raising your hands in meetings or volunteering to get involved in projects. You can start on these principles now and make a real stamp on your current role.
4. Networking is so important if you want to get into leadership and this doesn’t have to be in person. You can attend webinars and ask people for virtual coffees to access the benefits of networking as well. However, do not forget to be really present in your current role too; showing up in full goes a long way!
5. Keep abreast of industry trends and what is happening in the market. Pooja recommends carving out time in your diary to look through industry news and read relevant reports. Why not put in a recurring meeting with yourself each week to keep learning and keep ontop of what is happening around you, outside of your day-to-day role.
6. Identify your role models. If you see people around you who are well connected and knowledgeable, observe what kinds of questions they’re asking, what they’re reading and attending. Ask them too! They will likely be more than happy to share their wisdom!
7. Invest time into knowing where you want to go next. If it’s not a straight line up, where else excites you? Get hold of job descriptions from a range of roles at the next level up and see how you could transfer across and what the gaps are. Once you have identified the gaps, you can begin to fill them in with training.
8. Keep training and upskilling. Perhaps your organisation runs lunch & learns, or has access to external training courses? There are also some great free courses online such as on LinkedIn. This might be in direct response to a skills gap you’ve identified in yourself or a wider industry trend that you want to be part of, such as AI.
9. Be your own cheerleader! Don’t wait for people to come to you and say ‘we are going to give you this job’. Get yourself out there, get skilled up, get noticed and embrace self-promotion! 
10. Once in a leadership role, it’s really important that you empower people and give them a chance to showcase themselves. Remember to set a great example in all that you do. 

A pathway into leadership doesn’t need to follow a traditional straight career ladder upwards but whatever the shape of your career ladder, however wiggly or straight, don’t forget to leave it down behind you and help others back up! 

For more information on our own work in the leadership space, please head to our executive search page here or contact MD – Inspired Search, Abigail Barclay.