Articles / Leadership Skills Opportunities: Finding Growth Experiences
Development, Training & CoachingDiscover leadership skills opportunities in your workplace and beyond. Learn how to find, create, and maximise experiences that develop leadership capability.
Written by Laura Bouttell • Fri 9th January 2026
Leadership skills opportunities are the experiences, assignments, and situations that enable individuals to develop leadership capability. Research consistently shows that leadership develops primarily through challenging experiences rather than classroom learning alone—yet many aspiring leaders struggle to find or create the opportunities that would accelerate their growth. Understanding where leadership opportunities exist, how to access them, and how to maximise their developmental value transforms passive career progression into intentional capability building.
What distinguishes those who develop leadership capability quickly from those who stagnate is not innate talent but their ability to recognise and pursue developmental opportunities. Every workplace contains potential leadership experiences—the question is whether you see them and whether you act on them. This guide helps you identify opportunities others miss, create opportunities where none seem to exist, and extract maximum learning from every experience.
Opportunities for leadership development take many forms.
Leadership skills opportunities are experiences that develop leadership capability through challenge, responsibility, and learning. They include: stretch assignments (projects beyond current capability), formal roles (positions with leadership responsibility), informal leadership (influencing without authority), developmental relationships (mentoring, coaching), training programmes (formal leadership education), and life experiences (challenges outside work that build capability). The most powerful opportunities combine challenge with support—pushing beyond comfort zones whilst providing resources for success.
Opportunity types:
| Type | Nature | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Stretch assignments | Challenging projects | Leading cross-functional initiative |
| Formal roles | Positional responsibility | Team leader, committee chair |
| Informal leadership | Influence without authority | Coordinating peers, championing change |
| Developmental relationships | Learning from others | Mentor relationship, coaching |
| Training programmes | Formal education | Leadership courses, qualifications |
| Life experiences | Non-work development | Volunteer leadership, community roles |
Opportunities matter because leadership develops primarily through experience. Research suggests approximately 70% of leadership development comes from challenging experiences, 20% from relationships, and 10% from formal education. Without opportunities to practise leadership in real situations, even excellent training produces limited capability growth. Opportunities provide the crucible in which leadership is forged—the challenges, decisions, and consequences that transform potential into capability.
Why opportunities matter:
Opportunities exist in multiple domains.
Leadership opportunities exist in: current role (projects, initiatives, improvements within existing responsibilities), adjacent roles (cross-functional work, temporary assignments), formal programmes (leadership development, graduate schemes, rotations), professional bodies (committees, working groups, governance), community organisations (voluntary leadership roles), and personal projects (initiatives you create yourself). Opportunities are everywhere once you learn to see them—the limitation is usually perception, not availability.
Opportunity sources:
| Source | Examples | Access Route |
|---|---|---|
| Current role | Improvement projects, team initiatives | Volunteer, propose |
| Adjacent roles | Cross-functional teams, secondments | Express interest, apply |
| Formal programmes | Development programmes, rotations | Selection processes |
| Professional bodies | Committees, special interest groups | Membership, volunteering |
| Community | Charities, clubs, local organisations | Join, offer to help |
| Self-created | Personal initiatives, side projects | Identify need, act |
Identify opportunities others miss by: looking for problems (issues needing leadership), noticing gaps (work not being done), observing changes (transitions requiring coordination), listening to frustrations (complaints signalling opportunity), attending to periphery (areas outside main focus), and considering what you'd do differently (improvement possibilities). Most people focus on their defined responsibilities—those who develop fastest see beyond role boundaries to the opportunities that exist in organisational white space.
Opportunity identification:
When opportunities don't appear, create them.
Create your own opportunities by: proposing initiatives (suggesting projects that need leadership), volunteering (offering to take on additional responsibility), identifying problems to solve (finding issues and proposing solutions), building relationships (connecting with people who can offer opportunities), developing expertise (becoming the go-to person for specific areas), and demonstrating capability (showing readiness for greater responsibility). Initiative creates opportunity—waiting for someone to offer you leadership experiences often means waiting indefinitely.
Opportunity creation strategies:
| Strategy | Action | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Propose | Suggest initiatives needing leadership | Project leadership |
| Volunteer | Offer for additional responsibility | Expanded scope |
| Solve problems | Identify issues and propose solutions | Improvement leadership |
| Build relationships | Connect with opportunity-holders | Access and visibility |
| Develop expertise | Become go-to for specific areas | Credibility and demand |
| Demonstrate | Show capability through performance | Recognition and trust |
Propose opportunities that: address real organisational needs (solving genuine problems), align with strategic priorities (connecting to what matters), match your development needs (building capabilities you need), are achievable (realistic scope and resources), have visible outcomes (demonstrable results), and benefit others beyond yourself (value beyond personal development). Successful proposals solve problems whilst developing capability—they serve organisational interests whilst advancing your growth.
Proposal criteria:
Getting opportunities is only half the challenge.
Extract maximum learning by: setting development goals (clarifying what you want to learn), seeking feedback (gathering input throughout), reflecting systematically (processing experience for insight), documenting lessons (recording what you learn), applying learning forward (using insights in subsequent situations), and building on success (leveraging achievements for future opportunities). Opportunities without reflection produce experience without learning—intentional processing transforms experience into capability.
Learning maximisation:
| Practice | Implementation | Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Goal setting | Clarify learning objectives | Focused development |
| Feedback seeking | Regular input gathering | External perspective |
| Reflection | Systematic experience processing | Insight extraction |
| Documentation | Recording lessons learned | Memory and reference |
| Application | Using insights going forward | Skill consolidation |
| Leveraging | Building on achievements | Continued opportunity |
Build on initial opportunities by: delivering results (successful completion creates reputation), documenting achievements (recording accomplishments for future reference), sharing learning (demonstrating growth and insight), expressing interest (signalling desire for more), building relationships (maintaining connections from opportunities), and increasing scope (seeking progressively larger challenges). Each opportunity should create conditions for the next—success breeds success when you deliberately build on what you've achieved.
Building on success:
Various factors can limit opportunity access.
Barriers limiting access include: visibility (not being known to opportunity-holders), credibility (not being trusted with responsibility), availability (being too busy with current work), organisational politics (opportunities going to favoured individuals), role constraints (job description limiting scope), and self-limiting beliefs (not believing you're ready). Understanding barriers enables targeted strategies—some barriers require organisational action whilst others yield to individual effort.
Common barriers:
| Barrier | Nature | Navigation Strategy |
|---|---|---|
| Visibility | Not known | Build profile, volunteer |
| Credibility | Not trusted | Demonstrate through small wins |
| Availability | Too busy | Prioritise, delegate current work |
| Politics | Favouritism | Build relationships, create own opportunities |
| Role constraints | Limited scope | Reframe role, seek permission |
| Self-limiting beliefs | Internal doubt | Start small, build confidence |
Advocate for yourself by: articulating your aspirations (letting others know what you want), demonstrating capability (showing rather than just telling), asking directly (requesting opportunities explicitly), building a case (explaining why you're ready), finding sponsors (securing support from influential others), and following up (persisting when initial requests aren't granted). Self-advocacy can feel uncomfortable, but waiting to be noticed often means waiting indefinitely—you must actively pursue the opportunities you want.
Self-advocacy approaches:
Appropriate opportunities vary by career stage.
Early career professionals benefit from opportunities including: project team membership (contributing to cross-functional work), peer coordination (organising work amongst colleagues), improvement initiatives (small-scale process enhancement), committee participation (professional body or organisational groups), mentee roles (learning from experienced leaders), and volunteer leadership (community or professional organisation roles). Early career opportunities should build foundational skills whilst establishing reputation for reliability and initiative.
Early career opportunities:
| Opportunity | What It Develops | How to Access |
|---|---|---|
| Project teams | Cross-functional working | Volunteer, be selected |
| Peer coordination | Influence without authority | Offer to organise |
| Improvements | Problem-solving, initiative | Propose small changes |
| Committees | Governance, networking | Join, volunteer |
| Mentee roles | Learning, relationships | Seek mentors |
| Volunteer leadership | Core leadership skills | Community involvement |
Mid-career professionals should seek opportunities including: team leadership (formal responsibility for others), project leadership (leading significant initiatives), cross-functional coordination (spanning organisational boundaries), strategy contribution (participating in strategic work), mentoring others (developing less experienced colleagues), and external representation (speaking for organisation externally). Mid-career opportunities should develop strategic capability whilst building leadership track record.
Mid-career opportunities:
Leadership skills opportunities are experiences that develop leadership capability through challenge, responsibility, and learning. They include stretch assignments, formal roles, informal leadership, developmental relationships, training programmes, and life experiences. The most powerful opportunities combine challenge with support, pushing beyond comfort zones whilst providing resources for success.
Leadership opportunities exist in your current role (projects, initiatives), adjacent roles (cross-functional work, secondments), formal programmes (development schemes, rotations), professional bodies (committees, working groups), community organisations (voluntary roles), and self-created initiatives. Opportunities are everywhere once you learn to recognise them.
Create opportunities by proposing initiatives needing leadership, volunteering for additional responsibility, identifying problems to solve, building relationships with opportunity-holders, developing expertise that creates demand, and demonstrating capability that builds trust. Initiative creates opportunity—waiting for offers often means waiting indefinitely.
Maximise learning by setting development goals before starting, seeking feedback throughout, reflecting systematically on experience, documenting lessons learned, applying insights to subsequent situations, and leveraging achievements for future opportunities. Opportunities without reflection produce experience without learning.
Common barriers include limited visibility (not being known), insufficient credibility (not being trusted), lack of availability (too busy), organisational politics (favouritism), role constraints (limited scope), and self-limiting beliefs (not believing you're ready). Understanding barriers enables targeted navigation strategies.
Advocate by articulating your aspirations clearly, demonstrating capability through action, asking for opportunities explicitly, building a case for your readiness, finding sponsors who can support you, and following up appropriately when initial requests aren't granted. Active pursuit of opportunities usually outperforms passive waiting.
Early career opportunities include project team membership, peer coordination, improvement initiatives, committee participation, mentee roles, and volunteer leadership. These build foundational skills whilst establishing reputation for reliability and initiative that creates access to larger opportunities later.
Leadership skills opportunities are the raw material from which leadership capability is built. Without challenging experiences that force growth, even talented individuals plateau—whilst those who actively seek and create opportunities accelerate their development regardless of starting point. The difference lies not in circumstance but in orientation: seeing opportunities where others see only their current role, creating possibilities where none seem to exist.
Begin by auditing your current situation for opportunities you may be missing. What problems need solving? What gaps exist in how work gets done? What improvements would benefit your team or organisation? These questions reveal opportunities hiding in plain sight. Then consider what you might propose—what initiative could you suggest that would develop your capability whilst serving genuine organisational need?
Remember that opportunity-seeking is a skill that improves with practice. Your first attempts to create or secure opportunities may feel awkward or unsuccessful. Persistence matters. Each attempt builds capability for the next, and eventually your reputation for initiative becomes itself a source of opportunity as others begin offering challenges to someone they recognise as ready to lead.