3 Steps to Successfully Transitioning to Your New Leadership Role

Transitions a part of life. We go through them all of the time—at school, at work, at home, and everywhere in between. Heck, we’re going through one right now as we transition into Fall!

**Alexa, play Seasons of Life by Rent.

Anyway, you get the point.

As we go through any significant change, we deal with a lot in our personal world. For example, when you land a new position, first there is the stress and experience of working towards and *winning* the role, and then there’s the letting go of the one you are currently in. As if that’s not enough, there might be a household move, or a change in commute, which means impact on the family or other life factors. It also means you have a learning curve in the new role, the job itself, the people surrounding it, and the subtler nuances of new expectations all around you. If you are moving to a new company, that learning curve can be even steeper. But when you are a leader, your responsibility is especially significant, because everyone who reports to you is experiencing an additional transition… to their new leader… to YOU!!!

Holy bananas! Did we just freak you out? Let’s take a deep breath together.

We know how hard it is to successfully navigate a transition, but we’ve been in the trenches with quite a few leaders who have handled it well. So we know you will survive, we promise!

As a matter of fact, we’re really excited to let you in on a little secret…

We are officially building a program just for you—for leaders who are transitioning to a new role—and it will take all the guessing out of the situation and give you the confidence that you are, in fact, doing it right! You can actually pre-register for the program right now at a discounted rate if you go to https://energizeleadership.com/leader-success-kit-program/

During a recent episode of The Everyday Leader Podcast, we offered tips on how to successfully transition into your new leadership role. To listen to the podcast episode, click here or the image below. For the cliff notes, read on.

#1 Take care of yourself

We know it sounds simple but this is truly a case of putting the oxygen mask on first. You need to make sure you are getting enough sleep, eating healthy foods, exercising—all that good stuff is critical to put first. Times of transition are times of extra load and extra stress. It can really weigh you down and take a toll quickly. So determine what helps you stay healthy and productive and build that in right up front. Do not give away your soul to make this work. Trust me–you actually will be more respected for putting boundaries in place and also for setting a good example for others.

Be planful and set a weekly plan on Sundays before you get to the office on Monday morning. Also, set a daily plan that helps to keep you in alignment. Make sure you reflect each day on your progress, on your interactions, and on your stress level. This helps to make the best plan for the next day and to determine where you may need to reach out for support along the way. Keeping track of things, being thoughtful, and reflective can be really helpful to your long-term success.

#2 Take care of your people

Connect with the right people as frequently as you can. Make a list and check it off. Meet with your team members at least once a week for the first couple of months. Then you can figure out a pace that makes the most sense. Focus on asking questions and listening. Make sure your conversations are equal parts personal- and work-related.

Lean on your them for support. Ask for their insider knowledge. Ask them to take on the things you could use help with. They will appreciate being trusted by you and they need to feel valued as much as possible. Asking them to step up is a great way to honor their abilities and experience.

#3 Be clear on your expectations

For starters, set a long-term path. Let them know you won’t be making major changes overnight and ask for their patience as you grow into your role. Being the new leader of a team works much like buying a new house. It is best to live in it for a while before you start tearing it apart and remodeling it. You want to know how to use the house before you make adjustments. Same goes with leading a team–you want to know what works and what doesn’t before you mix things up.

On the flipside, make some mini-changes that will make a real difference. Once you talk with people, you’ll no doubt have a long list of requests, complaints, and suggestions. Figure out which ones will make a statement that you’re in it for them, you’re going to make changes where they count, but you’re not going to give in to everything.

What not to do

Below are three examples that we have seen bury leaders during their transition.

  1. Do not make any shifts that are going to make an unappreciated difference in people’s lives. We once worked with a leader who took away the beloved flexible schedule overnight. He never recovered from that action.
  2. Deal with problematic behavior swiftly and confidently. If someone is going off to play golf in the middle of the day, and pretty often (and that doesn’t quite fit with their job responsibilities), you have to correct this quickly. People become disengaged and disenfranchised with their leader very fast when they see people get away with bad behavior. So come on strong with your expectations and make sure everyone is aware of what is acceptable and what is not. Then your job is to keep people in alignment with your expectations moving forwward.
  3. Make sure you are in line with your expectations of others, and also the expectations of the job. Unfortunately, sometimes the job is–you know–a bit larger than you expected. Well, if others are having to tow the line, burn the midnight oil, and answer to the bottom line, you can’t exactly be scooting out at 4 pm or taking that vacation in the middle of mass chaos. We are not ones to tell you to sacrifice yourself for the job. We really do not believe any of us should be doing that. But when others are, and you are not, it will not bode well for you. You lose respect and trust and ultimately engagement. So your choice is to either show up in the same way they are expected to or readjust the expectations for them and align the resources that will get the job done. You are, after all, the boss. If your people need saving, tag–you’re it!

We hope those were some helpful tidbits to get you through. As always, please feel free to reach out to us so that we can help. And we would love to see you in our new program, launching specifically for those going who are through this… It’s called the Leader Success Kit: A Step-by-Step Program for Successfully Transitioning into Your New Role. Again, check it out at https://energizeleadership.com/leader-success-kit-program/

You can also check out our article, 10 Tips To Help You Adapt To Your New Boss, which you can send to your new employees to help them as they are getting to know you. The more they realize their role in this adjustment, the easier it will be for you!

In the meantime, best of luck to you–you’ve got this!!