Tools for Transitioning into a New Leadership Role

Many companies thrust employees into new leadership roles without equipping them with the proper tools and training. This transition can heighten anxiety and stress for that individual, resulting in them under-performing or reverting to only what they know.

Transitioning into a new leadership role often requires aligning bigger teams (and therefore more personalties), managing “up” to senior leaders/stakeholders and working at increased levels of operational and strategic complexity. Ideally your organization has an on-boarding process in place to ensure a successful transition. But if it does not, it is imperative that you are pro-active about this transition.

Tools to get you started:

• Set Critical Milestones. Create a 30/60/90 plan with clearly defined milestones for you and your team. Call them Rocks, OKRs, or KPIs, etc–just be sure you and your team knows the big priorities.
• Commit to an effective time management system. As you step into increased responsibilities and demands on your time you will need to have a good system that you consistently stick with.
• Draft a One-Page Strategic Plan. Summarize the organizational strategy and how your team aligns with this. Cleary define your role and your team’s role, and how this will be deliver and stay focused with the larger organizational strategy. This will help you determine your critical milestones (see above).
• Create a Power Map. Identify the key decision-makers, senior leader and stake-holders–know who they are, what they want and and how you can add value to them.  Your ability to navigate these organizational power dynamics is central to your success in a new role.
• Address your Weak/Blind-spots.The higher you ascend in an organization the more important it becomes to know and address the natural weak-spots in your leadership style. Personality assessment tools, Executive Coaching and 360 Feedback process are invaluable tools to support this.

If you need individual Executive Coaching to help you successfully navigate this transition or Consulting services to create an effective on-boarding plan, then please contact me.