Getting There – Earning the Opportunity

You have worked hard in your role to earn a promotion to the next level. Now, you are no longer responsible for just your own work, but that of more than a dozen people who report to you. Their performance is your performance. Their problems are your problems. How well you manage both and lead your people will determine if you are a leader, or a high-performing individual contributor taking the next logical step.

In many organizations, there is a familiar hierarchy of employees who work on whatever the company is producing, overseen by supervisors or managers, each reporting up to the next level. Typically, the stronger performers and subject matter experts get noticed and become ‘Go To’ people. Those prime-time players who also consistently demonstrate leadership qualities like professionalism, dependability, work ethic, flexibility and can adapt comfortably to change become part of that local shortlist for consideration when leadership opportunities arise. That can be great incentive for people to strive for high performance, while working on the behaviors and attributes they know are valued in their organization.

Being There – Finding Our Way

Once there, it is an adjustment period even for the highest of performers and those considered the coolest under fire. It is one thing to be the most efficient, or have the highest sales, or have the best customer feedback responses on your own. It is another to lead people to deliver these things, as you prepare to lead a new initiative, while putting your team meeting together, as an upset customer waits to speak with you, and an employee pops in your office on the verge of a meltdown. If you can manage all of that with grace, calm, and confidence, leadership just may be for you.

You are here, you’ve been promoted to leadership within your organization. You have made a decision to take on a new challenge and more responsibility which in many cases means you are now considered the boss for some who formerly worked alongside you. That can be an adjustment for them, and for you. Don’t pretend that it’s not. While you will assume the role, do not shy away from any of its responsibilities. You can still be transparent and clear about what your role entails, and what people can expect from you. Early on, the best attributes to display can be humility and magnanimity. Share the success that led to your promotion with others, how you learned from having good people around you, and how you can help those on your team who are interested in doing the same using your roadmap to get there.

The inner struggle a new leader has is knowing how and when to let people do their jobs even if not perfect or as good as you may have done it, and when, or whether, to jump in and do it yourself. Only in the rarest of circumstances would you want to do the latter. Think of it this way, if you were a swimming instructor, you would teach a new or non-swimmer techniques, coach them, monitor them, and let them go on their own to apply what they have learned. Even as they thrash around in the water at first, struggling to keep their head above water, you look for signs that they are improving and that you can get them there with more time together. But you wouldn’t let them drown along the way.

Do not think about, care about or ever worry about being called or viewed as ‘The Boss’. It is just a title, and there is no respect or dignity in a title – only in people. The leader who values their title more than their work is not long for the world of leadership. Leadership will be the lasting career for those who gain true joy and fulfillment by guiding, coaching, and supporting others to reach their maximum potential, and achieve their goals. Seldom do the goals of an individual not line up with goals set by your organization. Lead a team of individuals who strive to reach their maximum potential, and you will have one high performing team.

Belonging There – Leaders Lead

Early on as a leader you may still be viewed as that subject matter expert people relied on prior to your promotion. Be careful, because you will be tempted to maintain, or slide back into that role. You are comfortable being that for people, some of whom will even boost your ego because of it, calling you ‘the best leader we have’ now. Rest assured you are not. You have simply given people what they love most, that go-to person that knows the answer to every question and can jump in and do their job for them when asked. No one wants to lose that person, and people will do everything they can to pull you back in. It is up to you to recognize this when this is happening and to show that while you still have great expertise, their role is not your role any longer. You are here to help, to teach, to guide, and to lead those who complete the tasks, not to do the tasks for them.

If you want to be a great leader, be a great partner. When your people come to you on the verge of a meltdown, partner with them to help them solve, deal with, or get help for whatever is at the heart of the issue. When presenting or running a meeting, partner with the audience by setting an agenda that details all items you will cover, how long each segment will take, and confirm understanding. When a customer issue escalates to you, show your people how you partner with your customer to change the dynamic from ‘Customer vs. Us’ to ‘The Customer AND Us’ against the problem. Everything you want to accomplish can be done with consistent partnership with those who report to you, colleagues who now rely on you as a peer, and superiors who will be coaching and guiding you, as they monitor your leadership development closely in the coming months and years. Show them how effective ‘Great Partnership’ can be.