Leadership – Making Others Better by Embracing “We” versus “Me”

To demonstrate that you're the kind of person who elevates your coworkers, your resume and LinkedIn profile should highlight leadership, mentorship, collaboration, and team success. Here’s how you can do it effectively:

1. Use Leadership-Driven Bullet Points

Instead of just listing your individual accomplishments, emphasize how you helped others grow or improved team performance. Use action verbs like mentored, coached, guided, led, developed, supported, and facilitated.

Example (Before & After): ❌ Before:

• Managed risk assessment projects for compliance audits.

✅ After:

• Led and mentored a cross-functional team in executing risk assessments, improving compliance readiness by 30%.

• Developed standardized risk frameworks, enabling team members to conduct assessments more efficiently.

2. Showcase Mentorship and Knowledge Sharing

Even if you weren’t a formal manager, you can highlight informal leadership, training, or mentorship roles.

Example:

• Mentored five junior analysts, leading to a 50% reduction in onboarding time.

• Created a knowledge-sharing initiative that improved team efficiency by 20%.

• Designed training programs that empowered colleagues to take on higher responsibilities.

3. Highlight Team Success Over Individual Success

Companies want team players who make others better, not just personal high-achievers.

Example:

• Spearheaded collaboration between audit and compliance teams, improving workflow and reducing reporting errors by 40%.

• Facilitated cross-departmental initiatives, leading to a more cohesive risk management strategy.

4. Include Testimonials on LinkedIn

Ask former colleagues, mentors, or mentees to write recommendations on LinkedIn emphasizing how you helped them grow. A simple, authentic testimonial can make a huge impact.

Example LinkedIn Recommendation Request:
"Hi [Name], I really enjoyed working with you on [project]. If you’re comfortable, I’d love for you to write a short LinkedIn recommendation about how we collaborated and how I contributed to the team’s success. Happy to do the same for you!"

5. Show Impact in Your "About" Section on LinkedIn

Use the LinkedIn summary to tell a story about your leadership philosophy and how you help others succeed.

Example:
"I believe that great leaders don’t just achieve—they elevate those around them. Throughout my career in risk audit and compliance, I’ve focused on developing team capabilities, streamlining complex processes, and mentoring future leaders. Whether it’s creating frameworks that help teams work smarter or coaching colleagues through complex challenges, I take pride in building strong, high-performing teams."

6. Highlight Leadership & Mentorship in a “Leadership & Impact” Section

If mentoring and team development are a big part of your experience, consider adding a dedicated "Leadership & Impact" section on your resume.

Example:

Leadership & Impact

• Coached a team of junior auditors, increasing their efficiency and confidence in regulatory assessments.

• Implemented peer-training sessions, reducing knowledge gaps across the department.

7. Use Data to Quantify Your Influence

Employers love metrics. Try to attach numbers to your impact.

Examples:

• Before: "Helped improve team efficiency."

• After: "Implemented process changes that improved team efficiency by 25%, reducing audit completion times from 10 days to 7 days."

• Before: "Mentored colleagues."

• After: "Mentored five team members, two of whom were promoted within a year due to skill development and improved performance."

8. Engage on LinkedIn

Showcase leadership by actively engaging with your network.

• Write or share posts about leadership, mentorship, and collaboration.

• Comment on and celebrate coworkers’ achievements.

• Participate in LinkedIn discussions about teamwork, leadership, and professional growth.

Final Thoughts

Demonstrating that you help others succeed is about showing leadership without a title. By structuring your resume and LinkedIn profile around team success, mentorship, and impact, you’ll set yourself apart as the kind of professional who doesn’t just excel personally—but lifts the entire team with them.