10 Ways New Managers Become Great Leaders

"It is a terrible thing to look over your shoulder when you are trying to lead and find no one there." - Franklin D. Roosevelt

Persons accepting promotion from individual contributor to leader often do not realize the extent of the change. All too often they assume that they will be doing basically the work as before except that they will now be 'in charge'. In reality, a major change in responsibility is occurring. The new leader requires a different set of skills, attitude and behaviors. When we asked seasoned leaders what they wished they knew then that they know now, this is what they said:

1. Research your new job. Find out all you can about: the company (if it is one you have not previously worked for); the department you'll be working in; your new job responsibilities; the history of the position; your predecessor and his or her approach to the job; and your new subordinates ? if you don't already know them. Also learn the purpose of your department, team or unit ? what work is being done, what is the current state of play; your boss and your boss's boss expectations and if you have customers, what their expectations are.

2. Start planning in advance. Form at least a tentative plan - it will be harder to plan once you are in position. Think about what you want to achieve and how you would like to develop yourself to match the demands of the job. Reflect on your strengths and weaknesses ? how can you deploy your positive qualities and experiences to advantage and compensate for your limitations. Above all, don't depart too dramatically and quickly from established practice.

3. Get to know your team. Meet with your team first together and then individually. Don't skimp on time ? these first meetings set the stage for building a productive relationship. Listen carefully, eliciting information about the work and about them as individuals. Consider leaving the team with a question to reflect on: "What should I do or not do to help you perform your job effectively?"

4. Focus on important relationships. Introduce yourself to customers (internal and external); suppliers, and the people who make up the professional network surrounding your job. Get to know your boss immediately. Find out such things as: the frequency of status reports (daily vs. weekly vs. monthly); the amount of information (just give me a quick update vs. a 5 page report); and the desired mode of communication (email, voice mail, face-to-face).

5. Identify likely standards of performance. Observe, listen and note what is acceptable and what is not in your new environment. Within a few weeks you should have some ideas of what your staff expects of you. Identify the criteria by which your boss, your peers, and your customers will judge you. Be honest with yourself ? can you meet those standards? If not, what do you need to do? Consider who could help you and what the price might be.

6. Power up your people engine. Make a point of noticing and showing appreciation when someone puts in extra time and effort. If you are aware that another team member wanted or expected to get your job, acknowledge the fact. Express the hope that you can work together on a friendly basis and say that you look forward to his or help.

7. Don't be the lone ranger. Lead by involving team members. Listen to what they are telling you, especially if the team has been working together for a long time. They probably have a better sense, then you as the new manager, of what is going on, what needs to be done, and where the sand traps are.

8. Set an example. Demonstrate strong personal commitment to achieving your department's or unit's or team's goals. Build warm, friendly relationships rather than remain aloof. However, there is a fine line between being friendly and being a pal. When you put on the manager's hat, your role changes. You want respect first and then hopefully being liked.

9. Take stock regularly. Take time to reflect on your progress at the end of your first week, your first month, and your first quarter. Identify issues that require immediate attention, and ways to deal with them, before they grow into big headaches. The pattern of behavior you set in your first three months will be extremely hard to change later. As a new leader, your primary task is to listen and learn.

10. Discover the leader in you. You can't make sense of your role as a leader unless you know yourself first. Look to others for guidance but be true to who you are. "Leadership is a matter of how to be not how to do it. In the end, it is the quality and character of the leader that determines performance and results", according to Frances Hellelbein of the Peter Drucker Institute.

Make sure you become a super not blooper leader.

Marcia Zidle, the 'people smarts' coach, works with business leaders to quickly solve their people management headaches so they can concentrate on their #1 job ­ to grow and increase profits. She offers free help through Leadership Briefing, a weekly e-newsletter with practical tips on leadership style, employee motivation, recruitment and retention and relationship management. Subscribe by going to http://leadershiphooks.com/ and get the bonus report "61 Leadership Time Savers and Life Savers". Marcia is the author of the What Really Works Handbooks ­ resources for managers on the front line and the Power-by-the-Hour programs ­ fast, convenient, real life, affordable courses for leadership and staff development. She is available for media interviews, conference presentations and panel discussions on the hottest issues affecting the workplace today. Contact Marcia at 800-971-7619.

---

Google News Updated : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 14:49:35 GMT Study: Using fan on sleeping baby reduces risk of SIDS - San Jose Mercury News ChattahBox Study: Using fan on sleeping baby reduces risk of SIDS San Jose Mercury News - 2 hours ago By Linda Goldston Ayde Gonzales's mother was surprised when she insisted that her newborn son must sleep on his back, not on his side. Fans May Reduce Babies' Risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Bloomberg Fan in Room Seems to Cut Infants’ Risk of Crib Death New York Times Wall Street Journal - Chicago Sun-Times - eFluxMedia - U.S. News & World Report all 573 news articles Publ.Date : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 12:46:19 GMT OTC Cold Medicines to Be Relabeled for Young Children - Wall Street Journal ChattahBox OTC Cold Medicines to Be Relabeled for Young Children Wall Street Journal - 33 minutes ago By JENNIFER CORBETT DOOREN WASHINGTON -- Companies making over-the-counter cold and cough medicines have agreed to stop marketing the products to children younger than 4 as part of an effort to reduce accidental overdoses, an industry trade group said ... Video: Cold Meds Under Fire, Again CBS ALERT: Drug Companies Warning to Parents WXYZ SYS-CON Media - Washington Post - WebMD - Bloomberg all 850 news articles Publ.Date : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 14:15:50 GMT Police say Kentucky woman kills self, daughters - Forbes WNCT Police say Kentucky woman kills self, daughters Forbes - 1 hour ago AP 10.07.08, 9:30 AM ET Police were still trying to determine Tuesday why a Louisville woman apparently stabbed her two school-age daughters to death and then shot herself. Police say Kentucky woman kills self, daughters The Daily Advance Police say Louisville woman kills self, daughters KVOA.com The Associated Press - AHN - Louisville Courier-Journal - WLKY all 282 news articles Publ.Date : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 13:38:46 GMT IMF Urges Coordinated Action, Sees US Losses at $1.4 Trillion - Wall Street Journal BBC News IMF Urges Coordinated Action, Sees US Losses at $1.4 Trillion Wall Street Journal - 1 hour ago By TOM BARKLEY WASHINGTON -- With losses on bad US assets alone expected to top $1.4 trillion, the International Monetary Fund urged global policy makers Tuesday to coordinate a response to an unprecedented financial crisis that continues to spread. IMF warns of deeper slowdown amid crisis Reuters IMF in 'severe downturn' warning BBC News ABS CBN News - AFP - International Monetary Fund - Times Online all 383 news articles Publ.Date : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 13:21:55 GMT McCain, Obama question each other's character in latest campaign ads - Baltimore Sun BBC News McCain, Obama question each other's character in latest campaign ads Baltimore Sun - 3 hours ago By Paul West | paul.west@baltsun.com Washington - The presidential contest turned increasingly nasty yesterday as Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain launched new personal attacks ahead of the second presidential debate. Video: AP Campaign Minute AssociatedPress The Note: McCain Brings Attack to Second Debate ABC News Los Angeles Times - New York Times - BBC News - Reuters all 4,527 news articles Publ.Date : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 11:47:50 GMT Kenya Detains US Author Critical of Obama - New York Times Malaysia Star Kenya Detains US Author Critical of Obama New York Times - 1 hour ago By JEFFREY GETTLEMAN NAIROBI, Kenya - The American author of a best-selling book highly critical of Senator Barack Obama was detained by Kenyan immigration agents on Tuesday as he prepared to give a press conference in Nairobi. Kenya Detains Author of Anti-Obama Book Voice of America US anti-Obama book author faces Kenya deportation: officials AFP The Associated Press - CNN International - CollegeOTR - Right Pundits all 351 news articles Publ.Date : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 13:00:27 GMT Senator Warned a Friend That Jail Was a Risk - New York Times New York Times Senator Warned a Friend That Jail Was a Risk New York Times - 2 hours ago By NEIL A. LEWIS WASHINGTON - The day after the FBI confronted Bill Allen, an Alaska oil services millionaire, with evidence that he had tried to bribe state lawmakers, he reached out to Senator Ted Stevens by telephone to discuss how their ... Stevens unplugged: a defiant, salty health nut The Associated Press “I Love You, You Know,â€� and More Revelations from the Stevens Trial Wall Street Journal Blogs Anchorage Daily News (subscription) - Los Angeles Times - Bradenton Herald - CNN all 485 news articles Publ.Date : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 12:35:08 GMT RSS Parser More Web Site Traffic

PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts, Websites, and more...

Adsense websites

Four Ways To Make the Case For Outsourcing

How do you convert outsourcing leads into clients? You may... Read More

Lean Principles in Action

AbstractThe electrical products industry is one characterized by fierce competition,... Read More

Allowing Employees Responsibility

Merely assigning a task with detailed instructions is not effective... Read More

Creating A Vision ? Bringing Your Dreams Into Reality

Do you have some goals you want to achieve or... Read More

Listening Strategically

Usually, we're most interested in communicating outwardly; getting our messages... Read More

A Sense of Humor in the Workplace ... Is it Me? Or, was that not funny?

When I was first initiated into Corporate America, I had... Read More

Riding the Waves to Success

Last week I was confused and frustrated about a few... Read More

Profound Knowledge

We all are on a quest for knowledge. Whether its... Read More

Your Biggest Problem in Business? Work Ethic

US Work Ethic Issues and Lack of serviceWell many... Read More

Burger on a Bun Decision Making

When approaching any decision, it's important for individuals to maintain... Read More

Building Trust in Your Business Relationships - 10 Steps

There are some simple things you can do with your... Read More

The Death Spiral

Sometimes things just happen. Maybe we lose focus and take... Read More

The Higher You Go

The higher you go, the cooler it becomes. Really? Let... Read More

A Leadership Screw Driver: The 90 Day Improvement Plan

I was talking with first-line supervisors in a utility company... Read More

Customer Focus - Just 5 SimpleThings You Need to Think About

You can boil down the difference between successful businesses and... Read More

Management Consultants, Creativity, Innovation

Most firms have intelligent, capable, knowledgeable managers who are very... Read More

When Change Is In the Wind...Heads Up!

In these days of takeovers and mergers, of downsizings and... Read More

Why Saying Well Done Works

Encouraged by the recognition, Sarah Lewsiton went home from work... Read More

Its All About The Customers, Baby

If you want to ensure a steady stream of customers... Read More

Managing Creativity

Creativity Starts Here!The ability of an organisation to create new... Read More

IT Expenditure - Why Businesses Spend Huge Amounts on Ineffective IT Investments

Another IT White Elephant!It seems that almost every day we... Read More

Three Foundation Stones for Building Organizational Integrity

When the stock market crashed in 1929, there were a... Read More

Effective Meetings: Why Most Meetings are a Waste of Time

Whether your company holds one meeting a week or dozens... Read More

7 Essential Elements To Every Organizational Change

[This article is based on excerpts from the special report... Read More

Let the Intern Do It - Affordable Help for Your Business

Do you have more projects than time? Help might be... Read More