How can I build the leadership skills of a newly promoted leader?

How can I build the leadership skills of a newly promoted leader?

Case:

Mr. A, who was promoted earlier than his teammates, asked for counselling because of his concerns about teamwork. A has noticed that his colleagues, though in the same team, do not adhere to the meeting time and show a passive attitude. Currently, the team’s attitude has made it difficult for A to communicate with them and the working relationship is bad as well.

Not only was the atmosphere of the team hostile, but also constant conflicts within the team members occurred. In addition, A feels betrayed by the changed attitudes of team members and is becoming a loner in the company by avoiding team lunches. Currently, the performance of A has become poor, and he is frequently being criticized by the executive in charge, he is also experiencing sleep disorders and depression due to extreme stress.

If you are promoted to the team leader within the team, you often have the same concerns as in the case above. The dilemma within the team is that the person who was a colleague until yesterday becomes the team leader, and both team members and new team leader experience emotional confusion. So, how do you lead the team if you become a leader in such a circumstance?

First, as a team leader, you must establish and share your own identity. When promoted within the team, a new relationship as a team leader is to be established, it is necessary to rethink the team vision, your role, and expectations of your team members as the team leader and share it. In addition, as a team leader, it is good to present and communicate with the team members in a differentiated way from the previous role and sort out team management principles and roles.

Second, it is necessary to demonstrate leadership that embraces the advantage of promotion within the team. The new leader has expertise in internal work, due to long term exposure in the same. This expertise can act on behalf of the team and build a cooperative department, with lesser escalations. In addition, it is easy to grasp what the team members communicate or want, which is advantageous in forming an intimacy that is the basis of a high functioning team. Therefore, the new leader in the team should strive to evaluate the work based on practical expertise while leading individual team members into being an asset to the business.

Third, it is good to be a horizontal or supportive leader representing your team. When working as team members and colleagues, the concept of responsibilities and roles for work is unclear. However, the moment you become a leader, you manage the work and take responsibility for the performance of the team. In business, a top-down relationship is inevitably established. At this time, if you approach it with an authoritative attitude, you may experience difficulties in leading the team smoothly. Of course, the attitudes of the team members may have changed, but first, you should keep a check on your attitude toward the team members. In this case, assisting the team horizontally or from the back would be beneficial.

However, if you’re feeling limited in your efforts, it’s a good idea to ask for help around you. It is best to inform the HR team of the challenges faced as a new leader and the state of mind of the team and ask the company for help for improvement. Along with group counselling for team building, A’s own psychological counselling can be a great help for job stress and relationship formation.

We would love to hear from you!  If you have any feedback about this blog, please send it to learning@humandynamic.com.   

Spread the love