Hi……and welcome to another learning session from LeadershipMentor.net. If you are new to the role of leader, we want to mentor you to success. As always, all you need to do is share your email address with us on our home page, and you will receive free weekly mentoring sessions.
In this session, we will be talking about some of the major obstacles you will face in your first year as a leader. My experience has shown that nearly all of us will struggle with these areas at one time or another.
The first obstacle, is really knowing what the heck you have been hired to do. Many times we work long and hard, just to find out later that we have been working on the wrong things. So the first thing you need to do is read your job description over, and highlight the deliverables listed. You may also want to read the company’s mission statement if one is available.
Once you have studied these documents, the next thing you will want to do is schedule a meeting with your direct supervisor. Share in advance just why you are asking for her time. Give her time to also formulate what she expects from you. Make sure that the results of the meeting is a clear, written document that clarifies measurable deliverables. Make sure the timeframes are included. Now you can focus your efforts on these areas, and clearly evaluate on your own, just how you are performing.
The second obstacle you will face as a new leader is learning to delegate. Remember what we always at LeadershipMentor………..”what got you here, won’t keep you hear”. You probably produced great work as a subordinate, getting things done fast and done right the first time. Being a superstar as a employee may get you that first promotion, but now you need to change the way you work.
Your role as a leader is simple, accomplish goals and objectives using the resources you have at your disposal, mainly people. If you are trying to get everything done yourself, how can you possibly know what your team members are doing? So your job is getting work done by directing the activities of others. I said it was simple, but certainly not easy.
We are not going to go into the process of effectively delegating here, but just know that you must learn to let go of doing things yourself and learn to trust others. Delegation not only gets the work done faster than doing it yourself, it also trains and motivates your team members. In the long run you can actually teach your team to be self-sufficient, giving you more time to focus on your career development and developing the skills of those around you.
The final obstacle we will discuss today is how you socialize, or more importantly who you socialize with. Many times we become friends with those we work with. Now you become a leader, and you want to continue to socialize with the same people. Just a few potential problems with that.
One, you may end up sharing information that is confidential. Often times we think we can trust our friends not to share what we tell them. Trust me, at some point someone will share confidential information and it will come back to you. It’s happened to me, and everyone I know. This will really set you back in terms of the trust level your manager has with you, and may end up sending you back to the ranks of employee!!
The second potential problem is your circle of friend will expect special treatment at work. If you apply the “normal” process of being a leader to your team members, they will wonder why you can’t “lighten up”. Why is it a big deal if I am a few minutes late?” “So I was a few minutes late coming back from lunch, we used to do that all the time.” You have to trust me on this one, it will rarely work out to continue to socialize with the same people that you manage. It’s just two very different relationships, and they will almost always get merged together at some point.
The final obstacle I wanted to share with you is that you assume that you can perform well in your role without the help of others. This is not an attempt to sell my services, rather a true statement that you currently do not have the knowledge and experience you need for long term success. Some of us have personalities and skills that make us a better fit as a leader initially. But everyone needs to accept the fact that leaders need to implement a continual learning process. Listen to audio programs, read books, attend seminars. Your company will usually fund most of these activities because they understand the return on their investment.
You can also find a mentor outside you direct management line. This provides you with a outlet to share your fears and concerns without feeling it will impact your career in a negative fashion. A mentor also has experienced what you are going through, so they can help direct and guide you through tough situations. Whether you get a mentor, or just decide to create a continual learning plan, just know that if you do not take time to learn about how to lead, your career will never progress as fast as it could otherwise.
These are just 3 of the many possible obstacles you may face early on in your leadership career. Knowing what they are is half the battle. Now take the time to do something about them. Check out our website at www.leadershipmentor.net for additional learning sessions, and tune in to all of our podcasts so you can learn to be a better leader.
