You got the promotion. Congratulations! Now, before you get big-headed, read further.
If you are in a leadership role, you probably earned your stripes by working hard, making mistakes, taking risks and ultimately winning through perseverance. In your journey, you developed ways of working that work for you…at least until now. The problem is that what worked well in the past might not work in your new position, and most newly promoted leaders may not figure that out until it’s too late.
Consider the following list of common mistakes; developed through my own experience and interviews with a few dozen experienced leaders who, like you, have made their fair share of mistakes.
Do you resonate with any of them?
Overconfidence in your strengths – The belief that doing more of the things that got you the promotion will make you successful. The problem is that your success in the new job will probably require you to stop doing some of the old things while developing new skills.
Falling prey to the “taking action” mentality – You feel as if you need to take action, and you try too hard; too early to put your own stamp on the organization. You are too busy to learn, and you make bad decisions and catalyze resistance to your initiatives.
Not setting expectations – Failing or forgetting to establish clear, achievable objectives is a trap that leads to disappointment and, unfortunately the possibility of frustrating your boss. You may do well and still fail to meet the expectations of your boss.
Showing that you have “the” answer – You’ve seen this mess before; you know what to do, your mind is made up. You reach conclusions about “the” problems and “the” solutions way too early. You don’t consult with those who could help you understand what’s going on, and you squash the opportunity to gain support and work with your team early on.
Learning the wrong skills first – You spend time learning about the technical part of the job to show your team that you care about what they do. As a result, you put aside the leadership and political scope of your new job. You don’t build the leadership insight, the relationships, and strategic alliances you need to understand what is going on until it’s too late.
Focusing on vertical relationships – You spend all your time getting to know your direct reports and the boss; I call those vertical relationships-–up and down to the boss and your direct reports–and not enough on peers and key stakeholders. You miss early opportunities to build alliances and gain the trust of your colleagues.
Have you fallen into any of these mistakes in the past? I know I have. Have you seen others do so? Now think about your new role. Are you in danger of making any these mistakes? To help avoid derailment and establish yourself faster, keep these in mind as you take on your new role.
Do you have blocks that are interfering with your leadership success? If you are frustrated and want to talk about it, contact me to schedule a conversation that could change the way you’ve been leading others here: http://maricarmenpizarro.com/contact-mari-carmen/.
