Take charge from the start

On our LinkedIn group page, we asked our followers what they would like to see us cover in this leadership blog. One follower stated this question, “What do people entering into a leadership role have to look out for?”

Interesting question, and we’re going to take the approach of how one should prepare for their internal leader transition, along with how to hit the ground running once their new position starts.

Going from manager to upper executive is obviously a big change. Generally speaking, a manager’s job is to organize and delegate, while a leader focuses on inspiring and motivating the workers.

So, if you received a promotion, you already have gained the trust and respect of your superiors. Now for the hard part – making sure your direct reports trust your decisions as a leader. After all, just because you gained a leadership role doesn’t guarantee people will consider you a leader. It is up to you to ensure people take you seriously as a leader, which means your transition to leadership begins as soon as you find out about your promotion, not day one of your new role.

According to Michael Watkins, author of The First 90 Days, the actions you take on your first three months in a new job will largely determine if you succeed or fail.

No pressure, right?

How you plan for your new role, and the tone you set on your first day will create your foundation as a leader.

Here are some points to remember:

Listen and learn

Gain familiarity with the core functions, systems, and processes of your organization. Determine how each function and core process adds value to the organization. Know who to call in each function when you need information. When making plans, be flexible, and be prepared to change your action plans if internal or external factors alter the company’s strategic direction. Focus attention on the areas where you’ll get the most leverage.

Establish effective communication

Recognize that timing is important. Your message might be the right one, but it won’t be well received if it is delivered at the wrong time. Before delivering your message ask yourself: “How will others feel if I say that?” Keep the adage, “Actions speak louder than words” in mind. Actions should always be consistent with what you say you believe.

Build new working relationships

Effective relationships are vital to the success of a leader. Proactively meeting with people and explaining your ideas and initiatives can help you bring people on board at the beginning, instead of trying to turn around the “freight train” of opinion once it’s moving. Identify, build, or create areas of common ground with others. This will reduce your need to fall back on position power in order to accomplish your goals.

Encourage new ideas

Leaders must generate ideas for change and recognize and use the good ideas generated by others. Leaders also stimulate others to think in innovative ways. Inspire others with your ideas and enthusiasm – let others know you will hear them out and will consider suggestions when you make a decision.

Cycling back to the LinkedIn question - what does one have to look out for in a new leadership role? Well, be prepared to deal with uncertainty and additional responsibility. This comes along with any new role but it is heighten in a leadership position. You’ll need to demonstrate your value, along with being aware that people will question your decisions.

No one said making the move from manager to leader would be easy, (and if they did, they are delusional), but with the right preparation and attitude it can be a smooth transition.

Pay attention to details without micromanaging

Oh, the life of a manager. You need to give your team space, but you have to make sure they are delivering the project on time and under budget, which means you should pay close attention to details. But what if being detail-oriented negatively affects your management style?



For example, say you make it a habit to immerse yourself in overseeing a project, and you resist delegating to others, because you want to control the fine points of a project.



Hate to break it to you, but that is micromanaging, and those kinds of managers are not the ones that engage their team. Micromanagers are overly involved in the details of projects and are too controlling of those who should be attending to the details. Think about it, if the boss is going to control every detail, why should the employees even bother with it?



In addition, paying too close attention to certain details can cause unnecessary second-guessing, along with potential redundant work.



On the flip side, if you’re scared of becoming a micromanager, and take a ‘hands-of’ approach to your team, you might get blindsided by missed deadlines, and be perceived as being too distant from the details.



This is where you need to understand the fine line between monitoring the details and telling people how to do each task.



Efficient managers monitor performance without being too controlling of the details of how the work is accomplished. Learn how to balance the control of details with worker expertise, clarity of work goals, and frequent performance-based feedback.



Here are some tips:

When you establish yearly goals with your employees, ask them the level of involvement they want from you. Ask what you can do to be most helpful. Then follow through with their request whenever possible.

When determining the amount of latitude to give to an employee, consider his or her experience and motivation. For example, give more latitude to a person who is highly skilled and motivated in a particular area. Conversely, individuals learning a new skill will likely benefit from closer guidance.

Let your staff go forward with their ideas unless you have a major problem with their plans. Keep in mind that learning from mistakes is one of the most effective and common ways for people to develop.

Learn the difference between holding people accountable and micromanaging. Focus on results, not on whether they are achieved in exactly the same way you would achieve them.

Don’t micromanage, even new people. Instead, train people, break work down into manageable steps that they can handle successfully, and establish checkpoints.

Now it’s your turn. How do you balance the fine line between paying attention to details and micromanaging?

Managers, sharpen up your coaching game

Who is your favorite sports coach?

Well, if you’re a manager, you might want to pay closer attention to their leadership skills. The role of the manager is evolving, and coaching skills are becoming necessary for managing and leading in a changing business environment.

Yes, not only do you need to be a manager and a leader to your direct reports, you also need to be a coach. Many people have untapped potential that needs to be engaged, and one way to unleash that is to develop a coaching managerial style.

But if you don’t understand why you need to develop coaching skills, first check out these definitions from Wikipedia:

“Management is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively.” 

“Coaching is the practice of supporting an individual through the process of achieving a specific personal or professional result.”

Not so different, is it?

A coaching management style focuses on developing employees and providing opportunities for them to improve their skills and produce better results through mentoring and training. Adding coaching skills can help managers create a motivating environment that can increase the probability of an employee’s success by providing feedback, recognition, and support.

Keep in mind, incorporating coaching skills into your management style does not mean that your responsibilities as a supervisor no longer exist. But instead of checking and monitoring the work on a consistent basis, coaching enables managers to develop a relationship with their employees that create a shared understanding about what needs to be achieved.

If you don’t take the time to develop coaching skills, you may give the impression to your direct reports that you are not available to support them when they are having problems. You may be perceived as a leader who lets group members “sink or swim” based on their own ingenuity.

If you want to be viewed as an advocate or mentor in your direct reports’ career pursuits, here are some development tips to keep in mind:

· Sharpen your skills in coaching by working with someone who will give you feedback on your coaching skills.

· Attend meetings of coaching groups to gain expertise in coaching skills.

· Hire your own coach for a period of time. Notice what this person does to help you succeed in achieving your goals, and practice using similar methods with your team members when appropriate.

· Find out about the training and development opportunities available in your organization, and pass this information along to your team members. Encourage team members to participate in these activities, and allow work time for this whenever possible.

· Identify the weakest performer on your team. Together develop a plan to improve his/her performance, jointly setting the goals. Include regular assessments and rewards for success.

My way or the highway doesn’t always work

Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it. -- Dwight Eisenhower

All managers and leaders could learn something from those words about the art of delegation. However, it appears many don’t because some seem to think if they don’t do the work themselves, it won’t be done right. That kind of view about management is probably one of the biggest mistakes managers can make.

Some managers may be afraid to delegate because they believe it will take too long to train someone effectively, or if they delegate too much they won’t have any work to do themselves. In other words, it is hard for them to give up control. But when managers fail to delegate, they are disrespecting their direct reports, and that manager is most likely perceived as not trusting others to take responsibility for their work.

The managers that thrive on micromanaging, but also feel threatened by a loss of control are making the job a lot harder for themselves. If you abide by that philosophy, you’ll work more hours because you still need to perform your duties, but you are also taking on the work of your direct reports.

If you don’t want to spend your life at work, you have to learn to let go, and trust your direct reports to get the job done.

The ability to delegate requires more than simply assigning responsibilities and tasks. You have to know the extent to which others can handle assignments. You also need to have a grasp on your tolerance for mistakes. You may require perfect work from yourself, but are those realistic expectations for your direct reports?

There are different aspects of delegation. Too much delegation to one person and you’ll risk alienating that individual along with receiving inadequate results. However, too little delegation keeps others dependant on you, and that can also be overdone.

The key is to find a balance when you delegate, and we won’t leave you hanging; here are some tips to help you delegate more efficiently:

·When assigning responsibility, consider which tasks you could serve as back-up instead of lead; which tasks could be assumed by a group member under your close direction; and whether there are other factors that prevent delegation.

·Delegate each task and describe the expected result (i.e., success, acceptable performance, unacceptable performance) to the person assigned. Then ask the assigned staff member to develop an action plan.

·Note the strengths, weaknesses and work preferences of your staff. Note the type of assignments best suited to each team member. Use this information when you delegate tasks.

·Consider your team members as collaborators rather than subordinates. Use each person’s skills to create a shared outcome. Make team members responsible to each other for performance.

·Delegate in ways that meet the needs, learning styles, and abilities of each person (for example, a newly hired employee will probably need more detailed instructions and background information than an experienced employee).

Do you have any tips for delegation that you’d like to share?