Stepping into a leadership role in a well-established Team of experienced professionals and experts can be both exciting and challenging.
It’s natural to feel some uncertainty about how to gain their trust, build credibility, and inspire collaboration when you’re the newest person in the room. How do you establish your own leadership when the Team members might know their jobs inside-out and may even feel they are more experienced than you?
If you’re in this position, there are a few essential steps to build strong foundations with your Team.
But before diving into these steps, remember why you are here. Your organisation saw something in you, a set of skills or a fresh perspective that made them confident you could lead this Team. Your role is to harness the collective expertise around you, not to compete with it.
Think of yourself as the enabler who helps your Team perform at its best by creating the environment they need to thrive.
As a new leader – keep these 5 things in mind:
They are the experts, and you are the leader – two very different things:
First, recognise the expertise of the individual members within your Team and that it is not expected that you are able to match that expertise. Your roles within the Team are very different and its important that you recognise that your job is to create the space for their expertise to thrive and to ensure that they have the resources to do what they do best.
Understand that your Team members bring specialised knowledge and skills. Respect their insights and rely on them when making decisions.
It is also essential to resist the temptation to micromanage or assume expertise in areas outside your own. Trusting your Team empowers them and promotes accountability.
Listen to your Team, you will learn a lot:
Secondly, as a leader one of your most valuable tools is the ability to listen. By engaging in active listening, you can prioritise input from your Team and establish clearly what they need in terms of resources and support to deliver the outcomes required.
By genuinely listening to the suggestions and concerns of the members of your Team you will quickly come to appreciate the challenges they face in getting the job done and, you create a space where they feel valued and engaged.
It is also a good idea to be open to taking advice from your Team members. Remember that your Team are closer to the day-to-day operations of the Organisation, they understand the systems, how they work (or don’t work) and they often see things you might miss.
By consulting them and taking their perspectives on challenges, potential solutions, and new ideas on board you create a sense of inclusion and trust.
Curiosity may kill the cat, but it makes a leader:
The third key is to be curious about the work being done within your Team. It is essential to be constantly gathering knowledge and understanding of each of your Team member’s area of expertise.
This does not mean mastering every skill, but it helps in asking meaningful and probing questions and exploring different approaches. If you can demonstrate a foundational knowledge of their area of expertise you can spark discussions and challenge the Team to consider alternative strategies.
Building your knowledge through relentless curiosity can be achieved in 1-on-1 discussions and formal reviews, however, probably the best way is to ensure that you are interacting with your Team where they work. Take the time to stop by their desk or their workstation, ask what they are doing, what it entails and why they do things in a particular way.
People, especially experts, love to share their knowledge. So, use that enthusiasm to build your own understanding and at the same time build a sound professional relationship with your Team. They will repay your curiosity with interest.
Decide what kind of Leader you are going to be:
Fourth, recognise that leadership takes on many forms and it’s important to decide what kind of leader you are going to be.
Personally, I am a fan of the “Servant Leadership” model first articulated by Robert Greenleaf who emphasised listening, healing, empathy and self-awareness as the key traits.
Seen another way, leadership is understanding that it is your job to ensure that your Team has resources, time, and freedom needed to excel and to deliver the outcomes that are the benchmark of success for the Organisation.
Once you have provided your Team with the necessary tools for success, your next job is to shield them from distractions that are an inevitable part of life in a corporate organisation. Often, more senior leaders, leaders in other Teams who rely on input or results from your Team will seek to interfere or put pressure on your Team to deliver what they want. Your job is to minimise the interference or demands that could disrupt their focus and to act as the shock-absorber for outside pressures. You need to create a stable work environment where they can work without unnecessary pressure.
The other essential role of a leader in this context is to take ownership if something goes wrong. If there is an error or a mistake it is your job to own-it on behalf of the Team. You are the leader, so you carry the responsibility. By accepting responsibility when mistakes happen shows integrity and lets your Team focus on solutions rather than blame.
That is not to say that a healthy internal conversation should be avoided when mistakes happen. On the contrary, when mistakes are made it is essential to address them within the Team, to have open and honest discussions about what went wrong and why, and to come to a consensus about how such errors can be avoided in the future. The key is that your Team understands that you will protect them from outside criticism and in return they will work with you to ensure future mistakes are avoided.
Know Your Team:
Finally, understand the motivations of your individual Team members. Find out what drives them, whether it’s career growth, personal interests, or recognition, knowing this helps you understand them as human beings and helps you to support them and their specific ambitions effectively.
Having this knowledge in the back of your mind will help you to build the kind of individualised growth and capacity plan for each Team member that will ensure that you reap a reward of maximum effort and dedication.
It is also essential to be respectful of your Team’s time. One of the biggest mistakes a new leader can make is to assume that the Team are always available. It is essential to recognise they have responsibilities and interests outside of work, and to plan work schedule and deadlines accordingly.
A good leader makes it clear that when there is less pressure and time is on your side, you make space for your Team to exercise flexibility. This approach makes it much easier to be more demanding of their time, effort and focus when the chips are down, and deadlines are looming.
Remember that it is a well-worn principle that there is no “I” in “Team”. Hackneyed as it may be the principle holds true. As a leader your job is not really about you, it’s about your Team.
By focusing on these principles, you can build a Team that feels valued, empowered, and committed to shared success. Great leadership is about creating the conditions for others to excel, not taking the spotlight.
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