Guide 25 / 200 6 swaps Formal register
Professional words for “lead”
Six verbs that make "led" specific on a CV.
i · When it mattersTwo lines, no filler
"Lead" appears on every CV in the English-speaking world. To stand out, name the kind of leadership — managed, directed, headed, spearheaded.
ii · The swaps6 ways
- 01Manage neutral
run day-to-day operations
Managed a six-person SRE team.
- 02Direct formal
set direction top-down
Directed the Q3 marketing plan.
- 03Head neutral
be the person in charge
Headed platform engineering for two years.
- 04Spearhead formal
drive an initiative forward
Spearheaded the accessibility rewrite.
- 05Steward formal
guide carefully — reputation, money
Stewarded a $2M budget.
- 06Chair formal
lead a committee or meeting
Chaired the incident-review board.