3 Important Learnings As A New Leader
When we go through our career journeys, we inevitably go through ups and downs, and for managers and new leaders like myself, I’ve definitely gone through the blizzards and fires to get to where I am today. That being said, I’m literally one foot in with many steps to go, but here are some of my learnings so far.
360 degrees: Communicate upwards and downwards with clarity
Managing upwards and downwards has been one of the hardest things to do as a new leader. But this has also been one of the biggest learnings for me so far and here are some of my key takeaways.
As middle to senior management, we hold one of the most critical responsibilities - and this takes us having not just empathy for our members, and also expectations management of our senior leaders. Many times, we find that members have trouble bridging the understanding between what is expected from them because they simply could not connect the dots to the bigger picture. And our leaders (naturally) operate at 10,000 feet with multiple responsibilities to handle, and would not have the luxury of time to go into granularity of any sort. That is exactly where the bridging happens - for us to not just be the voice of reason both ways, but also to ensure all communication gaps are taken care of.
At the same time, it is crucial that we remain their source of motivation as well, which is integral in any role as their manager. This doesn’t happen naturally, we constantly need to figure out methods and ways to do that for each and every individual member.
Tough AF, but be comfortable with making hard decisions
A mentor has shared repeatedly that a great leader will need to make mistakes in order to grow, just like in every aspect of life, really. And sometimes, certain decisions will not be well-liked by all, but that’s what a leader needs to be able to do in order to move forward for the better of the organisation.
Personally, with my personality archetype as the mediator, I found it really difficult to make decisions that will upset the balance. I’ve been through some of these situations and I must say that it has been a humbling experience. Yet, it has stipulated my growth each and every time this has to happen, and it does get a little easier each time (but it still is tough af I can’t deny that).
Some of these conversations and decisions may be hard to do, but you need to be able to step up in order to create an even bigger impact on your own growth, as well as the others around you. By delaying any of these because of whatever reasons, you may very well find yourself in a tougher spot for yourself when the problems surface, or increase by tenfold.
Trust is key: Members will deliver if you allow it to
One of my main mantras of managing people is: Don’t micromanage - it will never work. I’ve always believed that members need the space to run and to perform to what is needed. We will provide the necessary guidance but also allow the members to try, and fail if needed to learn and grow. This is a natural cyclical event for every individual who wants to thrive in their career. Hard conversations and feedback? For sure. But dictating their work and how they should do it? Strong no.
What has worked for me is that even if you have a direction in mind, providing the right feedback at the right time is critical and as a manager, you need to find the right time and space to provide the feedback and comments. This will help provide some direction for the members yet giving them the space to run and explore. Yet, at the same time, you still need to be able to understand the domain(s) even from a high level to be able to effectively guide. Managers or leaders who can only ‘talk’ with no action, will not garner the respect needed from the rest of the troop.
I hope these sharings are helpful in whoever that’s going through the same journey! But most importantly, stay authentic and stay YOU despite everything!