According to Dean Maniatis, HS&E manager of global refining for Phillips 66, being a leader means more than having a "fancy" job title.
"'Leader' means you have knowledge, passion, skill and experience that give you some special abilities to manage a situation or multiple situations," he said.
There are two different kinds of leadership, Maniatis continued.
"One is called position leadership. That's where you're appointed manager of something," he said. "Then there's knowledge leadership. Because of your skills, knowledge and experience, you're a recognized leader."
Maniatis said he has more faith in knowledge leadership than in position leadership.
"First of all, you can't be an expert on everything - nobody can," he said. "You have to pick those niches that you love and are passionate about, things you want to do and things that you're good at. All of us have a couple of those subjects. And if you're not good at it, you probably don't want to be a leader in that. You're probably going to stink at it."
It is essential for leaders to be "unconditionally committed" to the worker, Maniatis said.
"Never forget what your job is, because when you're unconditionally committed to the worker, they will see that. They will feel that, they will know that you're unconditionally committed to them," he said. "And then, all of a sudden, they will become your biggest advocates. They will say they believe in you because you always stand up for the right things and that you have helped them do the right things."
A combination of technical skills, interpersonal skills and a strong work ethic are also traits of effective leaders.
"You can't be afraid to make people angry. Sometimes you just have to say it like it is ⦠Don't avoid difficult conversations," Maniatis said. "And have hunger. I call it 'fire in the belly.'"
John Grambowski, former manager of occupational safety, product stewardship and industrial hygiene for CITGO Petroleum Corp., stressed the importance of communication to successful leadership.
"Have the vision of what you want to accomplish and be able to communicate that vision," Grambowski said. "Have the [communication skills] to give and accept feedback."
"Everybody has expertise in something," Grambowski continued, emphasizing that listening is as important as speaking.
"Those are keys to being a good leader in whatever you're involved in," he said.
Laurie Liz Twardowski, senior manufacturing workforce safety and health specialist for Chevron U.S.A. Inc., said she agrees that workers shouldn't be focused on titles.
"We can be leaders no matter what role we're in, whether that's a knowledge leader or a leader who keeps calm in the face of adversity," Twardowski said. "Building that credibility is great advice for everybody. It's not about the time someone spends in a position, it's about the time you invest in becoming [a subject matter expert]."
Fritz Kin, director of safety, security, emergency response and PSM for Marathon Petroleum Corp., said one of the more prominent aspects people struggle with as they climb the leadership ladder is patience.
"You have to establish yourself as a leader, but that doesn't happen overnight," he said. "You can't push so hard for that next position until you do great things in the position you're in.
"One of the things that has been most successful for me was becoming a subject matter expert. I went deep into the regulations of my particular area, I got training, I looked for opportunities, I read and I talked to people. That creates the credibility where people want to seek you out. They want to know what you have to say about that particular topic."
If leadership aspirants follow that example, Kin said, "the next job or opportunity will come. Don't force yourself into that next job. That takes time and maturity.
"A lot of people don't want to be patient. They want to be the boss in five years, but they can't be. It takes time to build that credibility and your skillsets, and then things will come," Kin concluded. "As the old saying goes, 'The cream will rise to the top.' You will rise to the top by demonstrating you are passionate about what you're doing and know what you're talking about."
