Five mistakes to avoid as a new leader

It’s super exciting when you get promoted to lead a team, especially if you have been waiting for it for some time. Celebrate this milestone!

You will quickly realize that managing people adds a whole new dimension of complexity and challenge to your role. Everyone has their own strengths, needs, likes, dislikes and opinions on how the team and company should be run.  

You have to manage all these expectations. If you are promoted from within your team, going from your teammates’ peer to their “supervisor” can bring added awkwardness to the mix. Add to that the knowledge that you are also being watched by your supervisor to see how you perform in your new role. 

As you start to settle in, your mindset should start with a focus on your people. Put them first in your thoughts. This can be very hard to do if you have been more task-oriented until now. Your primary role now is to support and develop them, and for them to do the work.

Mistakes are inevitable both for new and experienced leaders. However, these five can be avoided more easily: 

1. Thinking you should have an answer for everything

Being spoon-fed answers by a leader does nothing for the development of your people. If your team asks about an issue, respond by asking what they would do to get them thinking through the options. Don't give them the answer right away, even if you know it (or think you do). This will help their development and their decision making which in long term is good for them, and you. And sometimes with your guidance and encouragement, they may come up with better solutions than you!

2. Be conscious that you are now being watched 24/7

As a leader, your every movement, behaviour, and even your mood is being watched by your team. That doesn't mean you have to be "on" all the time but you need to act with integrity and consideration 24/7. You become a role model for your team so you want to model the behaviours you want to see in your team.

3. Thinking you need to make all the decisions

If you do, then get ready for decision fatigue/burnout. This is no good for you nor your team. Encouraging and letting go of some of the decisions will free up your time and develop your team's decision-making muscles. Start with delegating smaller decisions and build up as they get more confident and experienced. And remember most mistakes can be fixed, and you have made your fair share too! That's probably how you learned.

4. Being a "boss" rather than a "coach"

I don't like the word "boss" and have never felt that my past supervisors were my bosses. I've never felt that I was anyone's boss either. As a leader you get the best results by coaching and mentoring rather than telling people what to do. Coaching creates a learning culture where the leader asks questions instead of giving all the answers.

5. Giving feedback only and never soliciting feedback

A big part of leading is building trust. One of the best ways to do that is by creating 2-way communication with your team. A favourite question I asked was: "what can I do better to support you?". I was never afraid of the response because I genuinely wanted to know how my leadership style was perceived and how I could do better.

When you’re new to managing people, you’ll need to learn how your team works best, their strengths and what motivates them. This also goes for an experienced leader. Many don’t take the time to understand these dynamics.

You first should spend time observing, questioning and listening a lot. Listen to their ideas and praise them both privately and publicly. Pass their ideas to your supervisors. Supporting and mentoring your teammates shows you have their back and greatly increases their motivation to give you their best.

You benefit hugely because your team is more effective, happier and your superiors will see your value as a leader. Because you affect a team, for better or worse as a leader you are a multiplier. Good leaders multiply the effectiveness of people, while poor leaders reduce the engagement and contribution of their team. Elevating others, elevates you!