I can predict with near certainty the likely mistakes you will make as a first-time manager. While no one learns to manage or lead without making mistakes, these nine potentially dangerous missteps are easy to avoid with a bit of advance warning. Consider this your advance warning.
There's no shortage of those in leadership roles who might reasonably be described as mundane. They focus on performance, but fail to inspire the pursuit of potential. That's too bad, because there's nothing secret or particularly difficult about pursuing extraordinary as a leader. Small changes in behaviors have the potential to yield big outcomes.
Starting out successfully as a new manager is challenging. However, there's one thing you can do to improve your odds of success from the first moment of your new role. Invest time to...
Learning to appreciate and value differences on your team takes effort on your part. An open-door policy isn't enough. You need to stretch. A good question to keep in mind is: "What's it like to be you?"
We're taught from an early age in school what we need to do to earn the "A." Unfortunately, the real world isn't that structured, predictable, or kind. Learning to tolerate ambiguity and uncertainty in business is essential for survival. Learning to leverage these characteristics is essential for success.
The idea of shifting baseline syndrome is most often referenced in ecological terms. I see it in action in the workplace and in our personal lives almost every day. Perhaps it's time to shift the baseline, but in the right direction.
Time is the true source of wealth in our world. The average life expectancy is less than 3 gigaseconds. How are you using your time to impact those you encounter?
Letting go of the past is frightening but almost always necessary for growth. However, one part of our past is worthy of retaining and reigniting: the dreams of our youth. Somewhere in those dreams were clues to our true purpose and the potential for us to be at our best. Instead of letting go, reel the thin line that still connects you to that dream and explore how you can bring it to life. Letting go in other areas is an important part of this process.
Large scale organizational transformations often create more problems than they solve. That's why my new Level-Up program focuses on identifying discrete behaviors that what adopted and reinforced, offer the potential to drive big results.
My recent article, Rethinking Leadership in an Era of Change, and the supporting podcast can be found at Pragmatic Marketing.
