So you made it to your first leadership position. Congratulations! Now what?

I was in this position at the age of 32 and until then had only ever had line responsibility for my secretary. Remember the days of one to one secretarial support? Heady times.

Anyway I was thrown into a technical area of which I had only limited knowledge, at a distant location away from my colleagues and tasked with recruiting, establishing and managing a multi-lingual team who would operate across Europe. Happily dear reader I can report that the project was a resounding success but I had to learn very much on the hoof. Here’s some of what I discovered then and have learned in the (many) years since.

It’s not about you any more.

This is true for all who reach leadership positions but never more so for professionals such as lawyers and accountants. We get promoted largely based on our ability to perform in our area of technical expertise but once we’re there, that won’t cut it. Largely it’s no longer about your own performance and output but how well you can influence the performance of your team. This requires a very different set of skills and your professional training probably didn’t equip you with any of them.

It’s supposed to be uncomfortable.

You are used to feeling competent and confident. You knew what you were doing and what was expected of you. Then. But this is now and it’s all rather unfamiliar. The learning curve is steep but worth climbing. You will feel unskilled as in one sense you’re starting all over again. Don’t let your seniority get in the way of admitting that you don’t always know the answer. Seek support and if possible, a mentor or coach.

Seek out professional development opportunities.

This will help with the point above. The route to mastery is unconscious incompetence → conscious incompetence → conscious competence → unconscious competence.  The conscious incompetence and even conscious competence phases can be particularly uncomfortable but they are best embraced and resourced.

Know why you’re doing it.

Get really clear on your “why” and make sure it’s aligned with that of the team and the business. We’re not just talking about goals or objectives here but fundamental purpose and values. Journey, not just destination.

Welcome feedback. And act on it.

We all have our blind spots and leaders are no exception. In fact it can be worse because those in your team may just tell you what they think you want to hear. Widen your audience and find ways for your team to give honest feedback safely, e.g. through anonymised engagement and 360º surveys.

Play to your strengths and those in your team.

No-one excels at everything. Get to know your own strengths and find ways of developing others’ complementary strengths so that the business gains the maximum benefit from your collective efforts.

Walk the talk, always.

You set the tone, whatever the business culture and values statements might say. If you don’t walk the talk, don’t expect your team to. Ditto accountability. Make sure you are held to account to no lesser degree than you expect of your team.

Understand your own leadership style.

It can be really helpful to have a role model: it can be inspiring, motivating and give us an idea of how we want to be. But beware becoming a clone. It’s unlikely to work and it could become exhausting forcing yourself into an unnatural shape. Instead find your own authentic style. This brings us back to strengths, values and purpose. Why do you want to lead? What do you stand for? What difference do you want to make? Now that’s inspiring! 

Reflection time is crucial.

Corporate life is busy, of course. But beware the temptation to keep on it, come what may. Taking time to step away from the desk and reflect on the vision and direction of the business is really important if you are not going to be kept busy reacting to whatever is most pressing on any given day. Strategy can be sidelined by operations, the urgent but unimportant taking precedence over the non-urgent but important. Whenever possible make some time to walk outside during the day. You might be surprised by how often some insight comes when you take your eyes away from the detail and just be.  

Don’t expect to be popular.

This one can be particularly difficult if you have been promoted from within your team. The bad news is that you are no longer part of the group. Or at least not in the same way. Different boundaries have to be established and respected, by you and the team. It is almost inevitable that sometimes you will have to make decisions that are unpopular. Don’t let your desire for popularity stop you making the right decision but do communicate clearly the reasons for it.

Resist the new broom sweep-up.

This final one is particularly true if you have been brought into an existing area of the business from outside. It is understandable to want to make a difference but first seek to understand and hear what already works and has been tried and not gone so well. Listen before you act. And as you act. And after you’ve acted. You get the idea…