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A great cloud of jargon, debate, and junk theory surrounds the idea of leadership, what it is, who does it, and how to do it well. But if you have just been promoted, and you're responsible for a group for the first time, there are only a few things you really need to know about leadership.
When you get promoted and become responsible for the performance of a group you become a leader. But you don't undergo some magical change. In fact, it will probably take you over a year to completely adjust to your new role.
You're a leader because the people in your group treat you like one. The only choice you have is what kind of leadership job you'll do.
When you become a leader your power actually goes down. As an individual contributor, you just have to decide to work harder, longer or smarter to improve performance. When you're responsible for the performance of a group, the group is your destiny. They choose whether to act or not.
When you become a leader, your influence goes up. The people who work for you pay attention to what you say and do. They adjust their behavior accordingly.
The result is that you use your behavior (what you say and do) to influence the behavior of the people who work for you to achieve a defined objective.
Achieving the objective is part of your job as a leader. But it's only part.
The other part is caring for your people. It may be possible to achieve good short term results without caring for your people. But you can't achieve long term success for you or your company without the willing cooperation of the best people you can find.
Boss's Bottom Line
At the end of the day, you will know if you've done a good job as a leader if you can answer "Yes" to the following two questions.
Did we accomplish the mission?
Are the members of my group better off today than yesterday?
Wally's Working Supervisor's Support Kit is a collection of information and tools to help working supervisors do a better job. It's based on what Wally's learned in over twenty years of supervisory skills training. Click here to check it out.
Categories: Leadership Transition, Leadership
Tags: Leadership
All good points, Wally. I would add an extra one to say "if your power goes up, your influence goes down. If you let your new power go to your head, you will lose the trust and respect of your people, and that's what you need to do your job well as a leader. Thanks! Bret
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Thanks, Bret. That's a good observation. I think it's also true that your influence drops if you set out to be everyone's friend.
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Wally
Excellent points. It's good for new leaders to focus on building the credibility necessary for action. Workgroup members are rarely swayed by position per se and are looking for new leaders to establish a refreshing approach to their working relationships. It's a very doable task with the right focus and guidance, but the transition is also a place where many have dropped the ball.
All the best,
Michael
www.workengagement.com
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Thanks for that insight, Michael. One of the most critical times in a career is transitioning from individual contributor to a job where you're responsible for a group and its performance. Yet hardly any companies seem to have programs and support systems to help make that transition effective. My research says that the transition takes 12 to 18 months and that the style of a new boss rarely changes after that. Do you agree? Do you know of any companies that do a good job of this?
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Wally
I agree on the timeframe you outline. People can change after that period but it takes a concerted structured effort to bring it about. The organizations I work with most directly--universities and hospitals--do a terrible job. The implicit assumption is that professional expertise will translate directly into leadership and that assumption is proven wrong again and again.
All the best,
Michael
www.workengagement.com
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It's my experience with small business and police departments, too. Seems to be one of those situations where we're determined not to learn from either the past or our own mistakes. Thanks for enriching the conversation.
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Nice reality check for new leaders! I especially like the part about losing power. One leader I know also felt that recognition was harder in a more generic, widespread role, rather than in the small area where results were up to him. Thoughtful and to the point as always, Wally!
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Thanks, Monica. We tend to portray the manger as "more powerful" than the individual contributor, but it's not the case at all.
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"When you become a leader your power actually goes down." What a great insight! Never thought of that before. Powermongers are in for a sad surprise.
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It's not the conventional wisdom, to be sure. I learned it from coaching clients and people in my programs. Thanks for stopping by.
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Great post as always, Wally!
You hit on an important issue when you point out that when one becomes a leader their power actually goes down. It can be a rude awakening when highly driven individuals end up in leadership positions and have to adjust to getting things accomplished through others instead of by themselves!
I've shared your post with my readers in my weekly Rainmaker 'Fab Five' blog picks of the week (found here: http://www.maximizepossibility.com/employee_retention/2010/03/the-rainmaker-fab-five-blog-picks-of-the-week-3.html) to help out any of my readers who might be struggling to adjust to a leadership role.
Be well!
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Thanks for the honor Chris. You're right about the sudden shock. One young woman I know was promoted to team leader and very happy about it until her first day in the new job. That night she called me and said, "I didn't know all those people would come to my office whining." The good news is that her company let her go back to being an individual contributor and she's learned a big lesson about what works for her.
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I agree with your statement that after you are promoted you don't undergo some magical change. I think too often those being promoted change their behavior, instead of staying consistent and behaving the same way that got you promoted. Your boss didn't give you more responsibility because they thought you will change into a leader; they gave you the promotion because of your current behavior.
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That's a good point, Mike. Too many newly promoted people think that they, suddenly, need to be doing things differently. I think there would be less of that if we had better systems in place to select people for boss jobs and to train and support them during the transition.
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Hi, Wally,
Great post. I worked with an organization once that was primarily focused on sales. Whenever they had a really good salesperson they would promote that person into a managerial role (and out of the field), and didn't give them any managerial training at all. Imagine the confusion and even fear they felt when they got transferred out of a job they were incredible at into a job they knew nothing about. Talking with one of these salespeople casually once they asked me for advice. I told them something that was pretty basic (BART - mind the Boundaries you set, the way you take up and give others Authority, understand your Role requirements and those of others, and make the Task requirements clear) and they were amazed. At that point I felt so lost for him it was heartbreaking. I guess these lost souls are the reason self-help leadership books sell millions. The population of people who have very strong job skills and get promoted out of their comfort into managerial positions is such an important place for consultants to bring their skills to bear. Thanks for sharing your thoughts in this post, Wally, they are superb as always.
Best,
Joaquin
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So many people make that observation and so many new bosses cry out for help. I don't understand why we don't do a better job of selecting, training and supporting them. Thanks for adding that example to the conversation.
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