To effectively display your leadership skills in terms of managing a team or group of people, you should use the word 'Led' in writing your resume. It shows that you can organize and delegate tasks, motivate people, and set goals—which can make you an asset to any company.

'Led' is a concise way to talk about leadership without going into too much detail. But you shouldn't use the same action verbs in your resume. If a recruiter reads through several of your bullet points that all use the same word to start, they are likely to grow bored and determine that your skills are limited.

Instead, you should use other words that describe the same actions and skills as led. Try using synonyms like piloted, planned, programmed, superintended, or steered.

Using synonyms is a great way to make your writing more engaging and dynamic. It also helps break up the monotony of reading long paragraphs of text that are all about the same thing.

I've compiled some synonyms you can use instead of Led on your resume, followed by real examples I've written for clients (feel free to use them!).

Resume Synonyms for Led:

Spearheaded
Coordinated
Orchestrated
Managed
Initiated
Championed
Administered
Supervised
Guided
Controlled
Drove
Chaired
Stewarded
Headed
Boosted
Assumed
Captained
Changed
Commanded
Conducted
Droved
Elected
Encouraged
Governed
Piloted
Planned
Programmed
Raised
Regulated
Superintended
Steered
Schooled

How to replace Led with a stronger action verb:

Let's look at examples of how you can remove and replace the overused phrase, Led, with a stronger synonym and alternative that is more effective at highlighting your achievements.

Before: Weak example using Led

• Led Miami office with Director and recruited and managed new team

⤸

After: Using a stronger synonym• Launched Miami office with lead Director and recruited and managed new team of 10 employees. Grew office revenue by 200% in first nine months (representing 20% of company revenue).

Replacing Led with Spearheaded ▾

Before: Led

• Led a team to develop new software

⤸

After: Spearheaded• Spearheaded a team of 8 developers to create innovative software, which boosted company efficiency by 25%.

The change from 'Led' to 'Spearheaded' provides insight into not only the leadership role but also the energetic pursuit of a project. Furthermore, by including specific metrics and project details, the accomplishment comes to life, making's professional impact more tangible.

Tip: I've prepared a ton of additional examples for you to give you inspiration. Please click on any of the following to expand and see real examples of how I've rewritten client bullet points.

Replacing Led with Coordinated ▾

Before: Led

• Led national conference initiatives

⤸

After: Coordinated• Coordinated logistics for major national conference attended by over 5,000 participants, leading to an increase in company exposure and networking opportunities.

By describing the size and scope of the managed event, it displays your ability to handle big projects. Coordinated implies excellent organizational and planning abilities.

Replacing Led with Orchestrated ▾

Before: Led

• Led operations for the entire department

⤸

After: Orchestrated• Orchestrated operations for a bustling department of 50 employees, which led to a 35% increase in productivity within a year.

Orchestrated brings an image of orchestration of many moving parts, suitable for operations. The explicit productivity improvement and department size provides a clear insight into the scope of the accomplishment.

Replacing Led with Managed ▾

Before: Led

• Led team of sales executives

⤸

After: Managed• Managed a team of 10 sales executives, thereby increasing annual sales by 30% through strategic planning and coordination.

'Managed' emphasize your ability to maximize individual and team productivity and performance effectively. Moreover, specific numbers signify the scale and direct result of the actions.

Replacing Led with Initiated ▾

Before: Led

• Led a new marketing campaign

⤸

After: Initiated• Initiated a fresh marketing campaign, increasing website traffic by 40% within three months.

Initiated implies innovative and forward-thinking abilities. It's essential to quantify results so potential employers understand the impact you could have at their company.

Replacing Led with Championed ▾

Before: Led

• Led company sustainability efforts

⤸

After: Championed• Championed company sustainability efforts, resulting in a 60% reduction in waste over two years.

'Championed' refers to advocacy and enthusiasm put into a project. Emphasizing the dramatic reduction in waste quantifies the impact of the effort.

Replacing Led with Administered ▾

Before: Led

• Led payroll department

⤸

After: Administered• Administered a payroll department serving over 200 employees, ensuring 100% accuracy and timeliness in payroll distribution.

'Administered' specifically refers to handling administrative work such as payroll. The detail of the department size and payroll accuracy provides a clear image of responsibilities.

Replacing Led with Supervised ▾

Before: Led

• Led manufacturing team

⤸

After: Supervised• Supervised a manufacturing team of 25, achieving a 15% increase in output without sacrificing quality.

By choosing 'Supervised' over 'Led', we're implying hands-on, direct oversight. Additionally, specific metrics and team size help potential employers grasp your leadership capacity and achievable results.

Replacing Led with Guided ▾

Before: Led

• Led sales team to meet targets

⤸

After: Guided• Guided a sales team of 15, surpassing quarterly targets by 18% through thorough training and motivational tactics.

'Guided' speaks to the leader's mentorship qualities. Stating the sales quota and the exceeded targets provides clear evidence of success.

Replacing Led with Controlled ▾

Before: Led

• Led budgeting procedures

⤸

After: Controlled• Controlled budgeting procedures for six departmental projects, reducing overall budget by 10% without sacrificing quality.

'Controlled' is a strong, assertive verb indicating expertise and dominance in one's field. The thorough details show strong financial understanding and efficiency.

Replacing Led with Drove ▾

Before: Led

• Led strategic partnerships

⤸

After: Drove• Drove success in establishing strategic partnerships, securing five contracts with Fortune 500 companies in the first quarter.

Used the verb 'Drove' to show determination and focus on results. Indicating the level of partnerships offers insight into the quality of partnerships pursued and achieved.

Replacing Led with Chaired ▾

Before: Led

• Led monthly team meetings

⤸

After: Chaired• Chaired monthly team meetings with a team of 30, helping streamline communication channels and increase team efficiency by 20%.

Chaired is a strong term showing leadership in meetings. It's important to illustrate the direct results of these meetings to show your proactive effort.

Replacing Led with Stewarded ▾

Before: Led

• Led fundraising campaign

⤸

After: Stewarded• Stewarded a 12-month fundraising campaign which attracted $200K+ in donations, exceeding prior years' donations by 50%.

'Stewarded' indicates cautious, careful handling of a project. Providing exact numbers gives hiring managers a clear picture of what can be expected from your efforts.

Replacing Led with Headed ▾

Before: Led

• Led a new product development initiative

⤸

After: Headed• Headed a new product development initiative, cultivating a product that contributed 25% to annual revenue.

Replacing 'led' with 'headed' places a strong emphasis on leadership and authority. Describing the initiative's significant accomplishment demonstrate your capability to drive impactful results.

Replacing Led with Boosted ▾

Before: Led

• Led a team to improve customer support

⤸

After: Boosted• Boosted customer satisfaction ratings by 30% within six months by leading a customer support team in implementing strategies for improved service.

'Boosted' indicates not just leadership, but accomplishment and impact, while including metrics shows the tangible result of this improvement to service.

How to use these synonyms in practice

We've put together an infographic to give you more examples of how to put this into practice. Note the use of strong action verbs instead of words like Led.

More resume bullet point samples that use strong synonyms

How to use Developed on a resume:

• Developed turnaround strategy for leading telecoms provider with annual losses of $50MM; resulted in 10% increase in revenue, or $5MM profit in first year.

How to use Founded on a resume:

• Founded ReferRoom to organize social events for 500 young professionals, and grew it to $20k/year revenue and $8k/year profit..

How to use Earned on a resume:

• Earned expedited promotion to Senior Analyst after one year as Analyst (earned by less than 1% of cohort).

How to use Performed on a resume:

• Performed a gap analysis by conducting a current state assessment to understand the inefficiencies associated with the existing manual business process.

How to use Designed on a resume:

• Designed and implemented an automated system for processing employee timesheets, eliminating the need for manual handwritten timesheets and resulted in a 10/hr per week time saving.

How to use Led on a resume:

• Led consolidation of 8 data systems into 1; resulted in over $55k in annual savings.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is another word for Led on a resume?

You should vary up your language on your resume, instead of using Led over and over again. Good synonyms to use instead include:

Elected
Governed
Piloted
Changed
Planned
Assumed

What can I say instead of Led on a resume?

Here are some synonyms for commonly repeated words, like Led, I see on resumes:

Droved
Schooled
Regulated
Planned
Governed
Captained

Get a free resume review: Find out if your action verbs are strong enough.

If you haven't yet, you should probably use the free tool below that's designed to help you update your existing resume. You'll also find out if your resume can be read by resume screeners, as well as if it passes key criteria recruiters look for. Just upload your resume below to start.

Related resume examples

Clinical Research

Clinical Trial Manager

Go To Download Page

Clinical Manager

Go To Download Page

Medical Science Liaison

A well-structured MSL resume highlighting scientific knowledge and relationship-building experience.

Go To Download Page

Clinical Data Manager

Go To Download Page

Credentialing Specialist

Go To Download Page

Go to the full Clinical Research Resume Guide or Clinical Research CV Guide to see and download more proven templates.

Equity Research

Director of Research

Go To Download Page

Equity Research Senior Analyst

Senior research analyst resume sample that highlights applicant's specialization and career progression.

Go To Download Page

Equity Research Analyst

Go To Download Page

Equity Research Associate

Go To Download Page

Go to the full Equity Research Resume Guide or Equity Research CV Guide to see and download more proven templates.

Research Assistant

Laboratory Research Assistant

Go To Download Page

Clinical Research Assistant

Go To Download Page

Graduate Research Assistant

Go To Download Page

Research Assistant

Go To Download Page

Psychology Research Assistant

Go To Download Page

Go to the full Research Assistant Resume Guide or Research Assistant CV Guide to see and download more proven templates.

Get a free resume review

Get expert feedback on your resume, instantly. Our free AI-powered resume checker scores your resume on key criteria recruiters and hiring managers look for. Get actionable steps to revamp your resume and land more interviews.

Upload Resume

Jump to another phrase