When You Make the Leap to Leading Your Team
Transformations Experienced Upon Assuming Leadership Roles:
Transitioning from a team member to a team leader is a significant jump. Martin G. Moore discusses five key areas that undergo a total shift in his article "5 Things That Change When You Become a Leader" (HBR, January 2022). Here's what to expect.
- Friends or Colleagues? As a leader, you'll need to distance yourself from former friends within your team to maintain objectivity and fairness towards all team members. Being friendly doesn't mean being friends—keep a professional boundary.
- Caring Responsibilities As a team member, you were accountable for your own work, behavior, and performance. As a leader, you're now responsible for the well-being of the entire team, including managing conflicts, balancing individual and organizational interests, and providing clear feedback.
- Managing Resources Leaders must make effective use of organizational resources. You'll need to prioritize decision-making that optimizes resources, regardless of personal or emotional factors.
- Broader Contribution Leadership offers an opportunity and obligation to positively contribute to both the team and the organization. As a leader, you're accountable for the team's performance and helping maximize the organization's value.
- Alignment with the Leadership Team As an individual team member, expressing disagreement with leadership decisions might have been acceptable. As a leader, it's crucial to align yourself with your CEO and the leadership team's goals and objectives.
Key Leadership Imperatives
To embrace your new role successfully, focus on these leadership essentials discussed by Moore:
- Deliver Value Identify and articulate what value means specifically within your team's context.
- Handle Conflict Manage conflicts effectively, embracing unpopular decisions when necessary.
- Build Resilience Learn from setbacks and disappointments to develop resilience.
- Work at the Right Level Delegate tasks to team members, ensuring they reach their full potential while delivering top-tier results.
- Master Ambiguity Navigate unclear expectations with confidence, setting clear and achievable goals for team members.
- Make Appropriate Decisions Develop a knack for smart decision-making and execute them promptly.
- Drive Accountability Ensure team members understand their roles and are held accountable for their work.
As a leader, recognize that you're responsible for leading change and growing as an individual. Embrace the challenge and be prepared to learn from mistakes along the way.
[1] Adapted and summarized from enrichment data. The original source for this summary can be found in Martin G. Moore's article "5 Things That Change When You Become a Leader" (HBR, January 2022).
As a leader, you'll need to adopt a business management approach, prioritizing the use of organizational resources effectively to deliver value to the team and the organization (deliver value). Additionally, you'll be responsible for guiding the team's careers, providing clear feedback, managing conflicts, and ensuring accountability for the team's performance (caring responsibilities). Thus, your leadership role intertwines finance, business, careers, and leadership.
