Here is a brief list of ideas that have helped me through my Leadership Journey. I hope they are useful to others...
Lead by example:
I’m the boss, you are now my lackeys. Obey.
The fallacy for new managers is to believe that becoming a “boss/supervisor” means telling people what to do regardless of their opinion or expertise. A good supervisor will develop strong working relationships by leading by example, by allowing feedback, by maintaining open communication, by mentoring, by helping coordinate when others do not have the expertise, time, or patience. Authority is NOT a weapon you use against others to defend your turf. Be prepared to mentor at least one or two people within the group. Your professional legacy depends on your ability to transfer knowledge and experience.
Becoming a supervisor doesn’t always mean telling people what to do and where to go. Show them how to do it, take the time to do the things you once did as less senior employee. Develop professional connection with coworkers and other employees within and outside the department. This is not about micromanaging employees; it is about providing hands-on training to new employees. As employees become more comfortable with the responsibilities, the supervisor should always back off.
Your circle influence expands hence giving you capital when conflict or challenges arise. You don’t want to be shot in back by your own troops. Remember that “power corrupts, absolute power corrupts, absolutely” The moral test should always be to try to use your vested authority “to do good” and to help others through their leadership Journey.
Confidence and arrogance:
Confidence allows you to try new things, to sell your ideas/products to others. Confidence sometimes can border in arrogance. Arrogance will set you back on your circle of influence. Others will let you hang yourself when making assumptions about your ability to solve a problem. Eyes are on you to succeed and/or to fail, hence it is important that you analyze and correct your perceived attitude towards others.
Self-Awareness and Self Management:
There is nothing wrong with me. These people are incompetent.
One of the biggest challenges of the human spirit is to not wanting to accept any sort of feedback for improvement. We are programmed by nature and nurture to behave in a certain way when issues arise. It is eminent that people understand that perfection doesn’t exist (even within ourselves). We can strive to excellence by accepting responsibility on our weakness, challenges and poor personality traits.
Communication:
I’ll do it my way, because I know best. Everyone here is incompetent.
Communication is an important element of being a manager. You have to constantly monitor information flow among coworkers and supervisors. Do you want to learn to manage your boss? Keep him/her informed of your progress, successes and failures. Do not blindside your coworkers and colleagues. Do not assume that people always understand what you are trying to achieve. Giving assignments with missing information to new employees will render them ineffective. Make an effort to communicate with other managers before directing employees to a task. You do not want to give mixed directives to one crew; they will hold resentment towards your management approach.
Get organized:
Sorry, I forgot, I’ll get back to you as soon as I find the note on my desk.
We all have different approaches to prioritizing, managing information and getting things done. If you do not have an electronic or manual approach to task tracking, calendars, contacts, etc.; please get one. The perception of competence is based on your ability to coordinate information, tasks and accomplishing them in the least amount of time. Keep your workspace organized. Your desk is tangible sample of your work. Some argue that cleanliness is not a reflection of your capability as a supervisor. Chances if you are a messy employee, you have a difficult time organizing and prioritizing.
Respect others regardless of your perception of their value:
This guy is useless… I don’t have to deal with him.
Respect others regardless of personality and values. Speaking poorly about a coworker behind their back will always put you in a negative position to resolve team issues. Avoidance of conflict only adds pressure to the pot. You need to deal with the differences in a private and constructive way. Understanding that the end result is not to win, but to compromise. Always be in control of your emotions. Losing your temper in public is a demonstration of your weaknesses as a person and manager. Accept responsibility: First rule of management.
As you enter the workforce you may dealing with generational differences. In your future employment you will be dealing with gender, age and personality issues with little choice. Remember that those that are capable of handling and working with various personalities, ages and gender will be tapped for more responsibility. Excellence will be rewarded with more responsibility.
Share Responsibility
Do not bother me. What you are asking me is not my job (or can’t you see I’m busy).
When coworkers come to you for help, they are coming to you because they see you as knowledge asset. It is easy to brush off a coworker by restating your responsibilities. Make an effort to help a coworker when asked to do so.
Knowledge is one source of power; the other important one is information sharing.
In information technology, the “über-geek” is the one that knows more about the technology elements running in the organization. In reality his prestige is based on his/her ability to share his expertise with others allowing for his circle of influence to expand. Those that share information about how a system works, are not losing power, they are gaining influence.
