How To Become A Lead Person: What It Is and Career Path

What is a lead person and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

A lead person is an employee with great responsibility. They have to make sure the quality of products or services offered by his/her or her employer meets the expected standards. Lead persons provide guidance, support, and motivation to their staff. They are supervisors or managers who delegate and coordinate tasks and oversee the activities of their department. They manage conflict, monitor processes, represent their team, and hire and train staff to make sure tasks are performed accurately.

Lead persons usually have a lot on their plates, and learning curves are different from the linear path of an employee who only has to worry about his/her or her own performance. Lead persons constantly have to adapt to changing rules in their game, and higher-level managers rarely have time to provide coaching.

With a growing amount of work load or people under your supervision, you will have less time to communicate with individual employees. Learning how to lead is not a skill you can practice on your own, you have to grow by being stretched thin in certain situations.

ScoreLead PersonUS Average

Salary

7.7

Avg. Salary $105,432

Avg. Salary $59,228

Diversity

4.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.70%

Asian 4.69%

Black or African American 12.74%

Hispanic or Latino 18.19%

Unknown 4.10%

White 59.58%

Gender

female 15.62%

male 84.38%

Age - 47

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 47

Stress level

8.1

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.1

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

3.3

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a lead person

Explore lead person education requirements

Most common lead person degrees

High School Diploma

43.7 %

Associate

19.0 %

Bachelor's

18.5 %

Start to develop specific lead person skills

Skills	Percentages
Safety Rules	8.25%
ISO	7.42%
Safety Regulations	7.13%
CNC	5.79%
Safety Procedures	5.57%

Complete relevant lead person training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New lead people learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a lead person based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real lead person resumes.

Gain additional lead person certifications

Lead person certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific lead person certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for lead people include OSHA Safety Certificate and Forklift Safety and Inspector.

More About Certifications

Research lead person duties and responsibilities

Manage the POS system to process sales/returns/exchanges.
Manage job crew, operate industrial vac-truck, obtain CDL
Attain permits and ensure workers used proper PPE prior to entering confine spaces.
Train and achieve USG certification for stainless steel, common steel MIG, aluminum MIG, and TIG common.

Get lead person experience

Generally, it takes 1-2 years to become a lead person. The most common roles before becoming a lead person include welder, machine operator team lead and electrician.

Prepare your lead person resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your lead person resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a lead person resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable lead person resume templates

Build a professional lead person resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your lead person resume.