Many young professionals aspire to be promoted to a leadership position. The new responsibilities and status are certainly exciting, but people often overlook an important challenge in their transition to management: navigating your new dynamic with your former peers.
Naturally, things change when your co-workers become your subordinates, and you have to step up and act like their leader -- not their friend -- if you want to be taken seriously. It can be hard to make that shift, but there are a few things you can do to set your tenure as a leader off on the right foot. Follow the advice of these 13 Forbes Coaches Council members to feel more confident in your new role.
1. Have A Team Meeting And Ask For Support
Ask each team member -- privately first, then publicly -- for support of the team's objectives. In the whole team meeting, give each team member the opportunity to speak about where the team is now headed. When team members are required to be public with the support of the team's direction, the new leader is accepted much more readily. - John Hittler, Evoking Genius
2. Visualize Your Success
In any new endeavor, it takes mindset and buy-in to attain success. When thrown into a new level of responsibility, it helps profoundly to spend time visualizing yourself successfully performing in the new role. When a story is visualized clearly, our brains cannot discern it from reality. You will own and be what you see, with success and confidence. - Laura DeCarlo, Career Directors International
3. Hold One-On-One Conversations With Your Team Members
Being promoted means you may know the players already, but the relationship dynamics will be all new. Make the time and effort to listen to and learn more about the individuals on your team, their challenges and strengths, and their work styles and preferences. You'll educate yourself, give voice to your team members and establish open communication right away. - Molly Walsh, Standout Consulting
4. Set Expectations And Encourage Open Communication Right Away
Accept the fact that your role has changed and with that comes new responsibilities, including supervising your former peers. Arrange one-on-one meetings to set expectations, ask and answer questions, and enlist their support. Create an atmosphere of open communication where people feel free to share ideas and concerns. Let them help in shaping a vision around which everyone can coalesce. - Daisy Wright, The Wright Career Solution
5. Work With A Career Coach
Bring in a professional career coach to ensure your staff knows your best strengths and leadership style. Preparing for this before the transition will build confidence and help you stretch your skills with less pressure. This approach should happen with all your staff, as it will create a learning-driven culture that is positive, future-focused and has better retention. - Gayle Draper, Intentional Careers and Human Resources
6. Maintain A Positive Mindset
Behave as if you were the best in the world in your new role. Ask yourself what your priorities are and where your impact lies. Leverage the relationships you have with your co-workers; listen and learn from them. You can't please everyone, and some people are just not going to like that you got promoted. Maintaining a positive mindset in the face of resistance is part of being a leader. - Jean Ali Muhlbauer, The Muhlbauer Companies, LLC
7. Empower Your People As A Servant Leader
Transitions into management are rarely easy. When shifting from team member to team leader, there can be a dramatic shift in the power dynamic among peers. The most successful new managers alleviate the dissonance associated with this shift by adopting the role of a servant leader, getting in the trenches with their team and valuing the contributions of every individual. - Niquenya Collins, Building Bridges Consulting
8. Perform A Personal SWOT Analysis
Take some time to perform a SWOT analysis of your professional skills so that you can build a team that will enhance your strengths, build up your weaknesses, help to seek out additional opportunities and plan for potential threats. - LaKesha Womack, Womack Consulting Group
9. Find An Early Win
Most individuals do not care about age or status. They care about vision and results. When a peer is promoted, the single most important factor for success is finding early and important wins or successes. When a new leader makes the right decision or takes the right action, it creates confidence both in the followers and in the leader. Every new leader should focus on their first wins. - Ken Gosnell, CEO Experience
10. Lean On A Mentor
Becoming a leader, especially to former peers, can be challenging. Doubt and frustration may arise during this time both for you and your team. Seek out a trusted mentor for support and guidance so you feel confident setting boundaries as a new manager and paving the way as the new leader. - Lizabeth Czepiel, Lizabeth Czepiel, LLC
11. Focus On Your Executive Presence
Competency is king as an individual contributor. But, now that you are the team leader, focus on developing your decision-making, communication and social skills. These, along with your appearance, contribute to your overall executive presence, and your presence will help establish your credibility and your command. Stay true to yourself, but now that you are in a new arena, look the part. - Julianne Cenac PhD, The Leader Channel
12. Accept That Your Relationships Will Evolve
Moving into a role where you now lead your former peers will feel strange in the beginning because the social norms of your relationships have all been turned upside down. You must allow your relationships to evolve, even if you were social friends before your promotion. As much as you might want the relationships to stay the same, they can't because your role has changed. - Jenn Lofgren, Incito Executive & Leadership Development
13. Be Authentic
Be yourself. Some people take on a different persona when they step up to lead. You have been promoted because you have shown leadership skills and expertise in your field. Authenticity builds trust and a culture of safety where others can show up as themselves. If new leaders need help feeling comfortable with the new role they should ask for leadership training or a personal coach. - Frances McIntosh, Intentional Coaching LLC
