Yesterday an employee, today leader! How to successfully master the transition...

Stomach ache. Sweaty palms. An uneasy, queasy feeling in her stomach. Anxiety. But also anticipation. That describes the state of mind of Lena, 31, on the morning of her first day at work. It's not a normal day. She's been promoted. Yesterday she was a clerk, today she's a department head. But what has changed? A lot! Lena is now no longer only responsible for her own results, but as leader for the results of her eight employees.

Countless new managers in companies experience the same situation as Lena every day. At first glance, it seems easy to master, but on closer inspection, it presents certain hurdles. These must be overcome. In today's blog article, you will learn what you should pay leader attention to for a successful start in your new role as leader .

During our leadership training courses, participants often express concerns about the challenges they leader immediately before and during their first days as new leader . The following aspects are frequently mentioned:

• I find it difficult to give myself the authority leader lead my employees as new leader .
• I'm not sure how and when to communicate my new role.
• How can I communicate expectations to employees in a crystal-clear manner?
• How do I know what exactly is expected of me in the new role?
• Everything has to be perfect and work right away at the start of my new role.

Five ideas to help you make a bigger impact in your new role  

[mks_dropcap style="square" size="52" bg_color="#5d819d" txt_color="#ffffff"] 1 [/mks_dropcap] Give yourself permission leader be leader

Many new leader initially leader over whether and how their employees will follow their lead. Much of this depends on your inner attitude. Say "YES" to yourself as leader. It's not so much about having to be perfect or as good as your predecessor, for example. Rather, it's crucial that you find your own way. As soon as you consciously give yourself the authority to lead, your employees will sense it immediately. If you would like to learn more about this topic, we recommend the blog article "The impact boost for leadership: Say yes to yourself!"

[mks_dropcap style="square" size="52" bg_color="#5d819d" txt_color="#ffffff"] 2 [/mks_dropcap] Communicate your new role as soon as possible

In corporate practice, it often happens that not all employees are informed transparently about new hierarchies. The result: disorientation and unclear roles in interpersonal relationships.

Therefore, communicate your new role to your entire team as soon as possible. This is not about demonstrating how leader have changed for you as leader . It is more effective to openly address how it feels for your employees that you leader now no longer a colleague but their leader . What will change in your daily work together? How will the team deal with this in the future? How do you envision the new collaboration? Avoid giving a monologue. Instead, create a dialogue by allowing space for your employees' concerns and opinions.

[mks_dropcap style="square" size="52" bg_color="#5d819d" txt_color="#ffffff"] 3 [/mks_dropcap] Make sure your expectations for your employees are clear

In one-on-one meetings with each employee, clearly explain the expectations you have for each team member. Employees can only deliver results if they know in detail what is expected of them. One way to do this is to arrange a handover with the leader who held the position before you. This allows you to benefit from your predecessor's expert knowledge. Useful questions to ask include:

• What results are to be achieved?
• By when should these results be achieved?
• To what extent does communication take place with the employee?

[mks_dropcap style="square" size="52" bg_color="#5d819d" txt_color="#ffffff"] 4 [/mks_dropcap] Ask what is expected of you

It is not only crucial what expectations you have of your employees. Your employees' expectations of you also play a major role. What is important to your employees? For example, in terms of daily collaboration. The following questions may help:

• What is important to employees in their daily work?
• What causes employees to remain loyal to the department/organization in the long term?
• What would have to happen for the employee to resign?
• What do employees want from their leader?
• What conditions are necessary from the employee's perspective in order to achieve the department's results?

Expectations should not only be clarified with regard to employees. You should also clearly ask your direct supervisor what expectations they have of you. In-depth questions could include:

• What results is the new leader for?
• When do these results need to be available?
• How and when does regular communication take place?

[mks_dropcap style="square" size="52" bg_color="#5d819d" txt_color="#ffffff"] 5 [/mks_dropcap] Tone down your leadership ambitions

A new position brings with it many new challenges. These may include tasks or situations that you did not encounter in your previous position. When coaching new managers, I often find that they set very high standards for themselves. I invite you to lower these expectations. There leader no such thing as a "perfect" start as leader . Rather, it is about continuing to grow with your new tasks and becoming stronger along the way. Read more about this in the blog:"From being to doing – Ten inhibiting opinions about leadership."

Conclusion

leader a few things you leader keep in mind to get off to an effective start as leader . The most important thing is not to be too hard on yourself, to give yourself permission leader as leader , and to address and clarify expectations and roles at an early stage.

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