One day you’re their peer; the next, you’re the boss. Making the transition from employee to leader can be an exciting yet challenging time for new leaders.
Many new leaders struggle with the transition as they now have a new level of influence and responsibility in the organization. In addition, individuals who you worked alongside are now your employees, and they are likely struggling with this new dynamic as well.
If you find yourself in this position, follow these six tips for new leaders to ensure a smooth transition.
6 Tips for New Leaders
1. Give Yourself Grace
It can take upwards of six months to start to feel comfortable in your new role as a leader. Many new leaders have the false belief that they need to be exceptional leaders on day one. Developing leadership skills take time, practice, and, unfortunately, learning from mistakes. If you’re feeling out of your depths, give yourself grace. With time and experience, you will feel more comfortable leading your team.
2. New Leaders Shouldn’t Do Too Much Too Soon
The worst thing you can do is try to prove to everyone you deserved the promotion. When you do this, you’ll enviably overcommit on what you’ll accomplish, make promises you cannot keep to your employees, and try to drive change before anyone is ready. You set yourself up for failure when you do this as you cannot meet your accountabilities and lead change effectively.
Instead, use the first three months in your new leadership role to learn, observe and ask questions. Taking the time to immerse yourself in your position will serve you well down the road when you start to develop your plans for your team.
3. Let Your New Leadership Role Go To Your Head
I think most of us can relate to knowing someone who received a promotion and suddenly turned into a different person. They let their new leadership role go to their head and now feel superior to those around them.
These new leaders no longer have any interest or time to interact with anyone that isn’t on their new level. Instead, they enjoy their new level of authority and love to leverage it by bossing, undermining, and demanding others. This is a recipe for disaster. New leaders need to build allies across the organization, not enemies.
Building relationships serve leaders well as from time to time, leaders will need to call in favors when workloads are too large, and deadlines are tight. However, people are more likely to go the extra mile for leaders who take a genuine interest in them, show their gratitude, and genuinely value their contributions, no matter where they fall on the org chart.
4. Doing Everything Yourself
New leaders often fall into the trap of taking on too much and not delegating work to their team. Unfortunately, this happens because new leaders are fearful they won’t be successful and believe the only way to ensure their success is to take on much of the work and micromanage their team.
Instead, to avoid any tendencies to set in, set up weekly one-on-one meetings with each employee to receive project updates, provide coaching, and help your employees with any challenges they’re having. Knowing you have this time in your calendar to review the status of your team accountabilities should alleviate the need to constantly check in and oversee their work.
5. Develop Your Leadership Skills
As the saying goes, leaders are made, not born. Sure, some people have a natural affinity to leadership, but for most individuals, leadership skills need to be learned and groomed.
Being a leader is much more than a title. The skills that made the new leader successful in their previous role as an individual contributor are no longer applicable. Instead, new leaders need leadership training to excel in their new roles, from managing performance to team culture and conflict resolution.
Attending a leadership training program that delivers leadership fundamentals is an ideal option for new leaders. Ideally, attend a training program before the promotion to be ready when the new leadership job opens up.
6. New Leaders Need To Seek Out a Mentor or Coach
One of the best ways to ease the leadership transition is to confide in someone who has been there. New leaders should seek a mentor or leadership coach who will act as a sounding board, answer questions, provide advice, and help set up goals and accomplishments.
Some companies will have a mentorship program, or new leaders may need to find one themself. They can be leaders in or outside the organization. The most significant factor is it should be someone they trust and feel comfortable in sharing their feelings.
You may also want to work with a leadership coach, who is another excellent option. These are trained professionals who have the experience of helping new leaders make a smooth transition. There are many leadership coaches available, but not all are created equal. Seek out a coach who is accredited by a governing body.
