Congratulations! You have just been promoted to manager in your organization, and even better, you are now the leader of everyone that you use to work with in your company. Wow! What a challenge!
But, how do you go from being peer-partner to partner-leader? Much of how this transition will play out will be driven by the kind of leader that you were BEFORE you were promoted. No matter where you are in an organization, you are in fact a leader. You may be the Consensus Builder, or you may be the Keeper of the Trust of the team. You may be the Quiet Leader that everyone feels comfortable around. You may be the Status Quo Breaker or the Question all the Logic kind of leader. You may be the “Why do we it that way?” kind of leader. At the end of the day, all are important to a team, but only one person can be the true out front, buck stops here leader when a promotion opportunity comes around. Company management does have a choice to go outside and avoid all of the political infighting that may come from promoting from within, but often you will see a true promotion up from the ranks as a highly motivating experience. In military terms, this “Field Grade Promotion” comes with recognition of leadership and character in adverse situations. Or it may mean that someone got a great offer, and just moved on, leaving a vacuum of leadership. Either way, what a great opportunity for the right person, so let’s take a moment to reflect on what it takes to navigate this challenging transition.
Keeping your team productive and hopeful during a new boss transition can be complex. Forging a workplace partnership is key to developing a loyal and engaged group. No pressure here, but trust in leadership is critical. According to a Gallup survey, people don’t just quit companies or leave because of compensation, they quit people. Getting on the employees bad side may be as simple as not asking for their opinions, not offering good feedback, or putting someone in a role that they are just not prepared to do and for which they are ill suited. People want fact-based praise and recognition for their work. And by the way, NOT scolding is not the same as offering lots of praise.
How do you keep employees from slowly disengaging and turning off? How do you keep them from becoming disillusioned and resigning inwardly? This does not happen immediately, but over the course of time during the routine work week. It is clearly important to keep motivation high.
The motivation level of employees has tangible economic ramifications for the company. In the group of engaged employees, there are lower rates of theft, fewer defective products, fewer work accidents, less employee turnover and lower levels of absenteeism. And those are only the direct costs. Motivated employees also work more productively, are more innovative and more responsive to customers. All these factors serve to increase the company's profitability. Highly engaged and motivated employees are also the ones with an elevated sense of emotional connection to their jobs. They feel valued and empowered.
Make no mistake, people like to work. According to a Gallup survey in Germany began in 2001, people were asked the following question, “If you were to inherit enough money to no longer need to work, would you continue with your job or would you quit?" As many as seven out of ten employees in Germany would not resign despite an inheritance that would provide them a financially carefree life. This indicates the fundamentally positive relationship between people and their work. Even two-thirds of those about to retire would continue working despite a large inheritance.
As you assume greater management responsibility, realize that these skills may not be that teachable. Just like social skills, and how we present our self as leaders, much is learned at the feet of our parents. Like it or not, we are taught how to treat others, and those early lessons may be a wonderful source to pull experience and insight. For others, they may be not so great to pull from in the work place. This is a primary driver behind the “Peter Principle” where a person is likely to be promoted to their highest level of inefficiency. In this respect, the best sales person can also be the worst manager. Selling skills and management skills are two distinct skills indeed.
Bottom-line, congratulations on your new responsibility. Keep your head up and your ethics higher. Seek out a mentor, and train yourself on the skills of leading others. Surround your self with a diverse and experienced team, praise them often, and get out of their way. Some of best leaders, both past and present, were only as good as the team that they were surrounded by in their office.
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