It's easy to underestimate how profound the transition is from individual contributor to leader. As your new team looks to you for the first time, they are understandably worried about how you will make things harder for them.
The people who now report to you will form an early judgment about your leadership capabilities that will define your reputation in ways that may not serve you well, particularly when you're also mastering the full scope of your new job. So when in your leadership job, you'll need to develop and consistently operate within a broader framework of how you think about your new role.
Successful leaders demonstrate three key attributes (leadership differentiators) that help them gain confidence and skill in leading a group. Embrace them and you will be successful out of the gate:
Be authentic.
Bring out the best in people.
Be receptive to feedback.
Even if you are not a leader yet, these skills will help you make your mark as an individual contributor and distinguish yourself as a strong candidate for advancement. And people will want to work with you more.
You'll show integrity through consistent, well-crafted, honest conversations and behavior. Crafting your leadership brand goes beyond being your authentic self.
The best leaders have the innate ability to make everyone around them better. It takes win-win thinking to help others be the best they can be. Great leaders possess this outlook. They know that their own success relies on the success of the people they lead and that one of their chief responsibilities is to foster their team members' skills, abilities, interests, and efforts.
Getting to know you conversations are incredibly useful. They demonstrate your commitment to listening and help people feel valued. The more you understand the people you work with, the easier it is to help them be successful.
Source: Tacy M. Byham: Your First Leadership Job: How Catalyst Leaders Bring Out the Best in Others
Other Leadership Reference Guides:
- See more at: http://www.coachingtip.com/2015/04/your-first-leadership-job.html ---and--- http://coachingtip.blogs.com/coaching_tip/2008/03/your-leadership.html