Stepping into a leadership position for the first time can be challenging. I have had the experience of becoming a leader in an existing team, there are some challenges to navigate. Here are some tips that may assist from my own experience and from a great book “Being the Boss” by Linda A Hill & Kent Lineback:

• Take opportunities when they present themselves – rapid growth and change in an organisation is something to take advantage of – you need to be courageous and step up when you get the chance
• Negotiate the expectations prior to signing on to the role – what does success look like in 3 months, 6 months, 12 months etc – get as granular as you need to and clarify your level of decision making control and influence in general – what do you need to escalate – what can you go ahead and change, what level of financial control do you have etc

What will change?

• The biggest change will be going from being within the team and a “friend” to being in ultimate control and therefore a perception shift from the people around you that there is a new line there that wasn’t there before
• The reality of holding the final decision on many things that you would previously not have had
• You step out of working in the business – the day to day doing and move to a more strategic level
• As you move away from the detail you need better briefing on it – paradox of management
• The irony of management – as you step back from direct involvement in work your need for information goes up – you must develop new ways of finding out what you need to know
• You must develop and evaluate your people – paradox of being coach and judge
• Management is interdependence – everything you do requires the cooperation of others – you are dependant and accountable

What is surprising / challenging?

• “Playing politics” and wielding influence in a political environment are not the same – it is essential to create relationships before you need them (if you only connect to solve a problem you are interacting under pressure and in conflict) – build the relationship first
• Conflict among groups can be healthy and productive – diversity and conflict are essential drivers of creativity and innovation
• You must earn the right to exercise your authority – your team expect you to solve problems, make decisions, develop them, protect them, obtain necessary resources, give out reward and recognition, advocate and negotiate for them, care about them and more! If they feel you are letting them down they will find 1000 ways to comply formally with your directions (authority) without achieving what you want them to achieve
• Smart managers solicit opinions, get information and ask for advice – they involve those who will be directly affected by a decision or plan. They act transparently

Some Advice

• Hold yourself above gossip – be discreet
• Handle your mistakes and acknowledge your errors, ignorance and shortcomings when required but remember there is a fine line here – be honest but do not undermine yourself and in turn diminish peoples trust in you
• Full mastery comes slowly – it is a difficult and uncomfortable and requires time commitment with often elusive or limited resources
• Your team can not perform better than the quality of the management provided – you are ultimately the primary limit on the performance of the group – your management makes the difference between poor and superior performance
• Most managers spend their time in an unending parade of mostly small events consisting of mainly person to person interactions, many unplanned encounters with a wide variety of people covering a seemingly random mix of topics – effective managers bend each interruption and problem to achieve a managerial end – in every activity that is thrust upon you, you plant a seed of progress
• Expertise is critical but it will not compensate for poor interpersonal skills (if people have a choice they will choose NOT to work with a difficult person even when the person is competent)
• Never avoid problems or interact in a passive aggressive way – get advice when problems are small
• Record your reflections every Friday of the past week – you will begin to understand what is needed to stay on the path and this will enable you to say no to anything that is not aligned
• Seek feedback – absorbing negative feedback without anger and defensiveness (requires enormous maturity) – you must make yourself vulnerable in order to grow
• Make time to relax – work life balance – make sure you look after yourself
• Maintain perspective and don’t get too caught up in the role to the detriment of your health, relationships

I wish you great success in your leadership position.